Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!, has finally addressed her decision to set a work-from-home ban. The new policy, which was announced in February, will come into effect on June 1st.
The new mother spoke about her decision with numerous HR professionals, explaining that “people are more productive when they’re alone,” but “more collaborative and innovative when they’re together.”
“Some of the best ideas come from pulling two different ideas together,” she said.
In February, Mayer issued a ‘come into the office’ command through an internal email. In it she explained: “We need to be one Yahoo!, and that starts with physically being together.”
“Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home,” she wrote, calling all remote staff to report to office facilities by June.
The new work arrangements will affect around 200 of the 12,000 Yahoo! employees. The announcement sparked much controversy and outrage amongst the company’s employees as well as the public.
Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin, blogged: “This seems a backwards step in an age when remote working is easier and more effective than ever.”
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, on the other hand, supports Mayer’s decision.
“Yes, there are some things you can do at home. But having a chat line is not the same thing as standing at the water cooler. And standing at the water cooler is where you get a lot of ideas and information an it’s a euphemism for a lot of interpersonal dialogue,” he said.
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