After widespread criticism of Yahoo's decision to ban employees from working at home, the company has addressed the controversy in a vague statement.
"This isn't a broad industry view on working from home," it said. "This is about what is right for Yahoo right now."
A spokesperson for Yahoo declined to elaborate on the matter, telling the New York Times, "We don't discuss internal matters."
But several anonymous employees said Yahoo's move to abolish telecommuting indicates that Marissa Mayer, who became company CEO last July, is "in crisis mode." They told the Times that Mayer believes the policy is necessary rejuvenate Yahoo, which has seen a years-long decline.
An internal company-wide memo from Jackie Reses, Yahoo's head of human resources, said:
To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side-by-side. That is why it is critical that we are all present in our offices. Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings. Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home. We need to be one Yahoo!, and that starts with physically being together.
Work ethic at Yahoo has deteriorated over time, and the new policy allows management to better monitor and inspire people at the office, the employees revealed. What's more, it's seen as beneficial if less productive staff chose to leave because of the policy, they added. Indeed, some workers have abused the work-at-home option to the point that they've founded startups while being on Yahoo's payroll, the employees said.
All those currently working from home will be required to work at Yahoo's offices starting this June.
Yahoo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Image courtesy of Flickr, eirikso
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