Open Opinion: Yahoo Is Out Of Their Damn Mind
“This isn’t a broad industry view on working from home — this is about what is right for Yahoo right now.”
I feel like that one statement just set the world back twenty years.
For those unaware of the origin of that statement, it was written in response to a leaked memo from Yahoo’s boss Marissa Mayer. The leaked memo told Yahoo’s staff that they could no longer work from home and if they choose not to comply with the rule by June they will be out of a job.
This is insane to me.
Removing myself from just focusing on Yahoo, I can’t understand how any one company can believe that this is a good way of fostering creativity. As I look at myself and how I foresee my career going I don’t believe that I will be forced to be in an office ten years from now. Quite honestly I won’t work for someone who doesn’t get the value in getting the best out of their creative minds by any means necessary. You can’t control creativity and in a corporate world that struggles to keep up with communication of ideas you cannot do anything that will stifle inspiration.
I don’t fear that Yahoo’s take on their work force is going to stop the ongoing trend of working from wherever and whenever. My fear is that Yahoo just stunted their growth in an unfixable way. It is no secret that companies have become more flexible to how their employees work. By allowing them to work in ways that best benefits that employee they often times receive far better work from them then if they were to mandate when and how they have to create.
Design is about harnessing an idea and developing a thought. Half the battle of creating good work is striking while the iron is hot. If that means that you create your best work from 9:00 pm to 3:00 am then take advantage of that time. To me what I see is a major failure of allowing flexible working hours is mandating the outcomes. I love to create and create and create and create and create…. but if I don’t have goals and a timeline for a project then all I did was create. From the outside looking in the major failure of Yahoo is not setting clear deliverables of what each employee is to be providing and now they have to reign people back in. But ultimately all this is going to do is make the people who did produce at high levels seek out different roles at companies that will harness their work style.
I don’t believe we have found the perfect way of collaborating yet with people that work from home but I do think it is improving. Whether using various forms of chat, email or video conferencing the opportunity of being remote but still face-to-face is evolving. Once we hone in on how to still have those random conversations that stimulate big ideas or the impromptu meeting that finds a resolution, working from home won’t even be a question.
I constantly am working with people from different regions of the US and other countries. We all have different time zones and varying schedules. But if you are working on a project together, and in particular a project with money involved; you will make sure your schedules meet to make sure your project is going to plan. Often I have found that texting simple questions tends to get the quickest answers and doesn’t hold a project up. The key thing is aligning yourself with a personality that is flexible and moves quickly. The world of product creation is evolving and if you can’t be flexible then it will be very challenging to keep up with demand and ultimately could cause you losing market space.
I know that this topic is a little further off subject to my typical design breakdowns on footwear but I believe this directly relates to me and I could not help resist seeing how others felt. My career has always been focused on creating while I have inspiration. I can’t control when or where that inspiration comes from I just have to be ready for when it comes. I know that quite a few designers and other major corporate workers visit this site and I would love to hear your thoughts and input on how being able to work or not work from home will effect your creative future.
Give me your thoughts in the comments section below!
I agree and disagree with you on this one.
I agree in the sense that I am 90% more creative & productive when my schedule is flexible, and that I can come and go as I please. Not being held to the fire for the 8-5. The idea of working from home is ideal.
I disagree as the root of this problem is caused by the other 99% of the world that sees working from home as an opportunity to “dick off”, in contrast to people like me and you that get the job done no matter what it takes. It is sad but true, but you could argue that of all the people you work with from around the world, more than half would be willing to do nothing if they were “working at home” vs the office.
I think it is a sad reality, and I am sure this is rooted from other issues that the organization is struggling with further behind closed doors. The fact that an private company memo was leaked to the press/blogger/whoever speaks exactly to the people whom are likely at the root of the problem. In the creative world, we know that the vindictive or disgruntled employees are the ones who make these types of moves.
I think the key to all of this is flexibility. I assume there is more to the story….sadly I think this is being presented well by the media doing their job. $20 says they are not working from home
R
PS. I like the op-ed vs your typical posts…
I kind of feel like it is much easier for smaller companies to allow working from home because they can be more nimble with how their work flow is done and how they spend their cash. Yahoo is a major corporation, their wikipedia page says they employ 14,100, in my eyes the bigger you are the harder it is to allow this sort of flexibility. It has to be pretty challenging to get everyones schedule together.
I think flexibility is the key as well. I do think it takes a well disciplined worker to be on their own schedule. It is not for everyone but it can work. As long as there is communication and a clear message of what the deliverables are it can work.
I do question what this does to product creation though. I feel like it could make products more isolated in their design resolutions if they are not worked on collaboratively. I don’t know, maybe working from home just allows for more small businesses to open up?
Just seen this post Brett. There is a speaker on TED talking about working from home in the future and how it makes sense in so many ways. (I forget the speaker).
For me personally. I find there are far more distractions at work such as meetings that you wish you were not part of, other people distracting you, someones music, time it takes to travel etc. I love working at home in my evening after work. I feel in my element, comfortable, no distractions.
As Rob states there are many people who abuse this system but it is all about accountability and take responsibility for your own actions.
Interesting debate never-the-less
the way i y=understand it, yahoo is undergoing a lot of things right now, & they have a lot of staff that works remotely off site & there is a big question as to the productivity off those workers. there is speculation this move was to ‘cull the herd’ so to speak. further there is value in working closely(the story of cross-pollination between engineers & animators of the pixar staff from interactions from the placement of bathrooms is one example), maybe not all the time but we shouldn’t act as though there aren’t any downsides to flex-work schedules…every company will need to figure out what the balance will nee to be for them & their staff…