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What's the big deal? Working from home stinks
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There has been a lot of debate already this week on the internal Yahoo memo suggesting all work-from-home employees will, starting in June, have to get out of their pajamas and go into the office. For Yahoo -- a company that is struggling to redefine itself among the Googles, Apples, and Microsofts of the world -- the memo lays bare for its employees a need to work on company culture and collaboration. For employees the change can mean a pain -- either your office space is shrinking or you're having to trade in your slippers and favorite mug for work shoes and the water cooler cup.
I had to work from home a bunch at my last job. I assumed it would be great, but it wasn't. I was still chained to the desk, but in the comfort of my own home -- which quickly lost its homey luster. And even though I was filling my quotas, I wasn't really feeling like I was productive, unless you count creating dirty dishes.
What do you think? Is working from home a dream, or a daymare? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section.
To hear more about Yahoo's new work policy, click on the audio player above. University of Texas sociology professor Jennifer Glass shares her thoughts on telecommuting and work-life balance.
I think the focus on where someone is sitting is misdirected. Changing to focus on the results that are being produced is much more effective. Who cares where someone is working if they are consistently producing amazing results? For some people this means going to an office, for others it means working from a coffee shop. I get my best work done at 4 in the morning in the comfort of my home office. Focusing on results gives people the opportunity to show up in their whole capacity -- to contribute their greatness because they are not being "managed" but rather given the context, the framework, in which they can operate to their own maximum effectiveness. Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson promote the change to a Results Only Work Environment as one that increases productivity and innovation. Further, recent evidence suggests that group brainstorming actually stifles creativity and innovation. I agree with Jennifer Glass, I think this move is regressive and is fear based. It will not lead to innovation, or productivity, but rather to a mass exodus of their most creative and knowledgeable employees to places where the results they produce are more important than having their butt in a particular seat.
Yahoo has been falling behind over the past decade. If they don't take drastic measures, they will no longer be relevant in their respective space. Definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I agree with changing their policy. As an owner of a company, the best interest of the company sometimes supersedes employee comfort. The space is changing and your company must adapt or perish!
I tend to be a bit of a workaholic, so I really need to keep my work separate from my home life. I often work long hours, but when I finally go home I am unavailable (purposely don't have a cell phone, home phone is an answering machine). But then I don't commute very far (only 3 miles).
Just looking around me, I think Americans in general have an unbalanced approach to work vs. personal life. Employers often expect people to be on call all the time. And working at home just make this all the more fuzzy.
I work from a home office and I find it great! Since I do not commute to another office, I now only drive about 5,000 miles per year and I live on the very rural coast of Maine! A key factor to working from a home office is you need to be disciplined and stay focused on work during work hours. A seperate office is helpful. I believe working from home is going to continue to be the trend going forward.
Working from home is just like anything else - it depends on the job to be done, the people doing it, and the clarity that the management team presents. I worked at home for ~3 years at the beginning of the tech boom in the 90s & I've never worked longer or harder, but have easily been more productive. My small workplace has for 17 years been a "go to the office every day" kind of workplace, but we're evolving away from that as needed to allow flexibility, save time, etc. But you do lose something when you don't actually see someone's reaction to your messy hair, or goofy sandals. It's less of a one-for-all kind of community. Of course I'm old - 60+ - so going to work every day has been my culture from the get-go. Management has to be better when managing virtually-officed resources.
Ben Johnson was honest about his experience working from home. Does Jennifer Glass work from home? Because if she does, I wonder how objective her comments are.
I work at a company that allows telecommuting. Employees feel entitled to work from home, and get quite defensive about their work habits if you suggest they should come into the office once in a while, particularly younger employees and employees with children.
However, when questions or problems come up in the office, they get dumped on the team member who is in the office, not the team member who works from home. When you get a 15 character "from my iphone" response to a question you e-mailed to a co-worker at home, it kinda lacks something. Someone who truly believes they can work while they are watching their kids soccer game may be able to fool themselves, their boss, and NPR but they aren't fooling the folks who have to work with them.
I say kudos to the Yahoo boss lady for taking an unpopular stand. If folks quit because they aren't allowed work from home, I hope the door doesn't smack them in rear on their way out.
