Photo Credit: smh.com.au
The blogosphere has been buzzing recently with the news of Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s controversial decision to stop allowing Yahoo employees to work from home. The majority of comment is focused on two themes.
- Mayer has caused Yahoo to take a “giant step backward” by requiring all employees to be physically present in a Yahoo office during their working hours.
- Mayer, as a working mother, has somehow let the team down.
In light of Yahoo’s specific circumstances, I’m not so sure about either of those.
Did Mayer cause Yahoo to take a giant step backwards?
I don’t think so. According to several sources, many of those working from home were running their own businesses on Yahoo’s time; and others were failing to contact the office for days at a time. Some were simply not producing the results they had agreed to. Mayer expressed her concerns about this, saying “Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home.” In addition, she explained the importance of physically working side-by-side to enhance communication and collaboration and to “be one Yahoo”. If that’s her vision, I believe that as CEO she has the right to implement it. Having said that, I do believe that the way her decision will be actioned is draconian and I’m sure many prospective employees will have second thoughts about becoming involved with Yahoo, now the precedent for sudden change in agreed conditions has been set. In particular, I think the situation is a shame for the many remote workers who were doing the right thing; especially those who wouldn’t have taken up their job if they had to work in a company office.
Has Mayer let working mothers down?
Not particularly. No more than she has let any other remote employees down. Mayer was not employed as a champion of working mothers, but because she was considered the best person for the job. As CEO, her overall remit is to turn Yahoo around. And that’s exactly what she’s doing to the best of her ability. After all, the buck stops right inside her office door. The fact that that particular door is adjacent to a nursery Mayer paid to have built, has of course added fuel to the flames of indignation at her decision. I’ve read many complaints that “it’s not fair” and “it’s hypocritical to stop other mothers working from home when she has a nursery right next to her own office”. But in Mayer’s case, I see it as a justifiable perk. She’s a corporate CEO who works extremely long hours under immense pressure. Yahoo CEOs have a notoriously short shelf-life and her professional reputation is hanging on her achievement of extremely challenging deliverables.
If, as CEO, Mayer saw that productivity and efficiency metrics weren’t being met by her remote workforce, I believe she was obliged to do something about it. Making the hard calls is what she’s paid millions of dollars to do.
She has never claimed to be a feminist icon. It’s a badge others have pinned onto her and personally I don’t think it’s fair. What do you think? Should Mayer be looking out for working mothers in her employ? Did she do the right thing? Would you work for her? [php function=16]
