Remote Working Dismissed by Yahoo

The ever-powerful source that is the internet has revealed some surprising news about Yahoo. A leaked email sent to employees sees the company implementing a ban on remote working amongst its staff, causing shock amongst some leading business experts.

The email stated: “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.”

Mixed views

Many of the recipients at the company were angered by these suggestions, and are unhappy about the move to return the entire workforce to the office by June this year.

Richard Branson quickly responded to this leaked email, saying it is a “backwards step in an age when remote working is easier and more effective than ever.” Branson, the Virgin entrepreneur is known to spend time working remotely himself from Necker Island in the Caribbean, making him a prime poster-boy for remote working.

However, other global companies seem to be agreeing with Yahoo’s decision, including Google. The chief financial officer Patrick Pichette has said, in a response to a question regarding how many people in the team work remotely, that he prefers “as few as possible.”

Further to these comments, Pichette added: “There’s something magical about sharing meals. There is something magical about spending time together, about noodling on ideas, about asking at the computer ‘What do you think of this?’”

Why the negativity?

A cultural apathy can be attributed to the negative energy surrounding remote working, as many people both within and outside of the office feel that their work cannot be fully appreciated whilst working from home.

Many people who work in the office environment on a daily basis may feel that those working from home are ‘slacking off’, whilst those who are working remotely are more likely to work longer hours and experience more stress in an effort to prove their work ethic.

Bosses are also less likely to remember remote workers when it comes to promotions and pay rises. However, as remote working has become increasingly more successful and accessible, once more work forces come to accept this form of work, the benefits are huge.

The positives

Some of the benefits can include:

• Expenses saved on premises
• An improvement on quality and performance
• More environmentally friendly
• Improved productivity

International communications specialists have commented upon the leaked Yahoo mail, saying: “To here that a company such as Yahoo is now not allowing its staff to [remote work] comes across as a backwards (and frankly regressive) move.

“There needs to be an element of trust that works both ways – trust that your employees or colleagues will do the work they are tasked with and won’t let you down. It seems inconceivable that in this day and age you’d turn your back on new technologies and work practices that have been adopted by your peers.”