Yahoo CEO bans employees from telecommuting

Picture via Gigaom

By now, I am sure many of you have heard about the controversial ban on telecommuting that Yahoo's CEO, Marissa Mayer, put in place this past week. Although it is causing quite a stir, the justification behind her reasoning does make a lot of sense. Mayer feels that the struggling company needs a big boost and that having employees work together and spread creativity will be the answer to their problems.

Mayer wants the telecommuting ban to go into place in June. This way, the 500 employees being affected by this have ample time to adjust to the transition and get their personal lives in check. Mayer has stood firm in her decision, despite animosity, and released a memo stating, "to become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side-by-side".

I understand why people are upset about this. Working from home is super convenient and makes sense for those who work nights and weekends. Many companies have been increasing the number of telecommuters because it ultimately does save the company money in the end. However, Mayer comprehends that Yahoo needs a change and has concluded that this is right one. She is one of the few female CEOs in the US, so I would have to say that she probably knows what she is talking about. It will be interesting to see whether or not this transition ultimately hurts or helps Yahoo. To read the full ComputerWorld article, click here.

Picture via Brandthropsophy

How does this affect us PR majors you ask? According to the PR Daily Salary and Job Satisfaction Survey, most PR people do not work from home. The survey concluded that a mere 22% of PR professionals telecommute and almost half of those people only do it once a week. The survey also found that most people who do telecommute in the industry are experienced PR professionals with big paychecks (aka not us). Additionally, the employees most likely to telecommute work in non-profit PR and government agencies. To read the full PR Daily article, click here.

Personally, I would not want to telecommute at this point in my life. It could, however, be beneficial for me when I am more experienced or have a family. Right now though, I thrive off working with others and get excited about aspects like interactive brainstorming and socializing with co-workers. I agree with Mayer that some of the best ideas occur "around the water cooler" and that a company's culture has a lot to do with its success. What do you guys think? Leave comments!