By Elayne Savage, PhD
Something has been bugging me ever since I heard about Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer's plans to end telecommuting effective June.
Much has been written in the media about pros and cons of this new ban. And there is lots of available research on the issue. However, I want to focus on some points that have not much been addressed.
Those of you familiar with my writing and workshops know I see things through the lens of rejection, disappointment and taking things personally. So it's not surprising I see some distortion and lopsidedness to Mayer's reasoning. Nor is it surprising that my first response was: "Loyal staffers might see this policy switch as a betrayal!"
Mayer's new rule trounces on sensitive emotional territory: unfairness, disappointment, betrayal, distrust, and perhaps a presumption of laziness.
I have to say these happen to be my most sacred hot-button issues, guaranteed to get a gut response. Have you, too, had experiences with feelings like these?
Apparently this new ban will affect even the one or two days per week work-from-home arrangements. Even part-time work at home arrangements are not for everyone. And if it's not working out it will show up in that person's production figures.
"More Productive, Efficient and Fun"
The memo extols increasing productivity through face-to-face communication and collaboration:
"Yahoos,
Over the past few months, we have introduced a number of great benefits and tools to make us more productive, efficient and fun. . . . 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. . . .Yahoo isn’t just about your day-to-day job, it is about the interactions and experiences that are only possible in our offices."
Idealistically this seems partially true. I agree that in-person meetings can generate exciting energy and creativity. However, in my consulting work with business clients I also hear story after story about the development of major people problems when interactions go awry.
More Unproductive, Stressed-out and Resentful?
What if those "exciting" face-to-face "impromptu team meetings" generate toxic energy? What if a participant has an 'attitude' that gets on your nerves, or displays one-upmanship, or takes credit for your ideas, or turns complaints into character assassinations? What if you feel offended, slighted and take this behavior personally?
Communication failures and people problems are the reason I'm called in to consult and train because taking things personally leads to decreased motivation, morale and productivity.
Dwelling on Perceived Slights
For example, when someone says something you perceive as offensive, it's easy to fill in the blanks with what you imagine they might mean. Back at your desk you may find yourself unable to concentrate because you're ruminating about your imaginings the rest of the day . . . or week.
Implementing Mayer's ideas of on-the-job interactions may decrease productivity rather than increasing it – especially if resentment begins to build.
Decreasing Flexibility and Increasing Stress
Mayer's directive involves more than the additional stresses of rearranging complicated juggling of home and office schedules. For many it involves tacking on an hour or two to the workday with the addition of exhausting commutes and searching for parking. These problems are the more obvious fallout. There's more.
There may be complicated emotional reactions too. Her dictum provides larger-than-life examples of loaded issues for many of us: unfairness, disappointment, betrayal, distrust, and the presumption of laziness.
How many Yahoo employees were tempted to take the job because of the possibility of a partial work-from-home arrangement? How many might now feel the rug is being pulled out from under them?
Are any of these feelings as loaded for you as they are for me? Am I the only one who cringes if someone insinuates I'm "lazy" – a word flung at me since early childhood.
Most of us have some of these experiences in our past. Each new one stockpiles, triggering reactions when something similar happens in the present.
The resulting emotional stress can be debilitating.
Why do work arrangements have to be all or nothing? What about limiting the number of days per week for working from home. What about making sure there is easy access to teleconferencing? What about adding a requirement for in-person attendance at important meetings?
I know how problematic and insidious workplace stress can be. I hear all kinds of stories from my clients, I've contributed to hundreds of articles about overcoming stress and I've worked with businesses to control poor morale and absenteeism by controlling stress and anxiety.
I'm at a loss to understand why Yahoo has made a decision that could make things more stressful for many employees. Why add to the problems of an already problem-ridden company?
© Elayne Savage, PhD
I'd very much like to hear your thoughts and ideas.
Until next time,
Elayne Savage is the author of ground-breaking relationship books published in 9 languages.
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