Yahoo! comes out against remote workers in new memo

The water cooler today is sure to be filled with conversation about who was the best dressed, which award winners surprised the most and whether or not Seth MacFarlane was a good host of last night's Oscar ceremony. However, there is another topic from the weekend that should be gaining more attention in the office banter as it could have a more direct effect on the workforce.

On Friday, Yahoo! issued an internal memo to its employees which has since been leaked. In the memo, CEO Marissa Mayer, issues a new rule that will take place in June that effectively bans any and all telecommuting. This affects those that work from home permanently or those that have an agreement to stay out of the office for one day a week. The memo stressed the need for the company to become "one Yahoo!" and that "speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home."

This has caused much backlash from Yahoo! employees and outside tech experts alike. While this may have been the case several years ago, it is far from the norm now. Sure there are those moments where brilliant ideas get hashed out over lunch or while on a coffee run, there are also those lost minutes of unproductive banter and non work related conversation.

On top of that, the advances of communication and computing technology like VoIP phone systems, instant messaging and the cloud have made it easier to be productive while staying in your pajamas.

How Yahoo!'s decision is affected by the backlash is yet to be seen, but it is clear there there are many supporters of the telecommuting trend. With the help of an IT consulting firm that is experienced in the systems needed for a proper remote workforce to be successful, any company can experience the increased productivity that telecommuting brings.

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