Yahoo: Telecommuting isn't your problem
Summary: In a strange move, new Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer pulled the rug out from under telecommuting employees. It won't help fix Yahoo's problems, but it's interesting to watch.
What do you do when you don't know what to do? Beat up on your employees, of course. Bad employees — bad! Oh, wait, Yahoo allowed you to telecommute. I mean, it isn't like you just stopped showing up for work and decided to work from home, now, did you? No, of course not. And it's certainly Marissa Mayer's privilege to pull you back into the cubicles from whence you came so that you can be so much more efficient at your jobs. After all, you'll get a lot more work done now that you have to commute to and from work every day, take a lunch break, take your morning and afternoon breaks and have numerous conversations with co-workers. Yes, Marissa, it's way better to have your employees come in and sit at their desks.
Apparently Mayer has never read the US Bureau of Labor Statistics report, The hard truth about telecommuting, that states the following in its lede:
"Telecommuting has not permeated the American workplace, and where it has become commonly used, it is not helpful in reducing work-family conflicts; telecommuting appears, instead, to have become instrumental in the general expansion of work hours, facilitating workers' needs for additional worktime beyond the standard workweek and/or the ability of employers to increase or intensify work demands among their salaried employees."
This report clearly is in opposition to Ms Mayer's statements supporting her decision. That's OK, Marissa, you're in good company making bad decisions at Yahoo.
I think that Mayer's decision to stop telecommuting at Yahoo is a scenario that will play out like the movie plot in Wag the Dog. To say that I disagree with her decision is an understatement.
Yahoo's troubles aren't new. In fact, Paul Graham of Revenue Loop, which Yahoo Purchased, expands on the topic with history from an insider's point of view. For more history, check out What's wrong with Yahoo, from SiliconIndia.com (September 2011) and GigaOm's Om Malik June 2008 post, What's wrong with Yahoo.
So you see, Yahoo fans, it's an ongoing, endemic problem.
I would hope that Ms Mayer makes better decisions in her predictably short future as Yahoo CEO, but I won't hold my breath. I wrote short based on Yahoo CEO longevity shown in the list below:
Marissa Mayer (July 2012 - present)
Ross Levinsohn Interim (2012)
Scott Thompson (2012)
Tim Morse Interim (2011 - 2012)
Carol Bartz (2009 - 2011)
Jerry Yang (2007 - 2009)
Terry Semel (2001 - 2007)
Timothy Koogle (1995 - 2001)
The way I figure it, she has another year or so to fix it, bail, or get the boot. Godspeed, Marissa.
So, what are some possible solutions for Yahoo's problems? Here are my thoughts — free of charge — although I feel somewhat compelled to hold back for a sweet but short-lived CXO position at Yahoo. Alas, I submit my initial 10 thoughts here for your consideration. If Ms. Mayer decides to heed any of them, I'd appreciate the courtesy of a phone call for an interview.
Behave like a technology company: You're not a media company, you're a technology company. Invest in technology and do some innovation.
Listen to your users: I think we need to stop thinking that people and business are different than they have been for the past 6,000 years or so. Listen to your customers, even if you don't think they're always right.
Focus on the product: Hire the best talent. You're in the heart of the best talent pool in the world, take your pick, give them a voice, and move forward.
Dump stuff that doesn't work: Get rid of assets and features that no one cares about. You know what I used to love about Yahoo? The maps. Where are the maps?
Forget redesign: It isn't your design that takes people away from Yahoo. The old design was better. It was easy to find things that you wanted to find. Focus on news and links. Simplicity is your key to success.
Have a workable vision: Forget the silly mission statements that no one listens to. Have a vision and carry it through.
Build employee loyalty: Seriously, has your top talent bailed along with your revenue? The people in your company are its lifeblood. They want to follow a leader with vision, and one who has leadership qualities worth following. Everyone makes mistakes. Admit when you're wrong and fix it.
Ask for help: Every General has advisors who help make decisions. Ask for help from peers, competitors (yes, competitors), employees, and mentors. If you can't ask for help, then you're not a good leader.
Stop worrying about shareholders and worry more about stakeholders: If you spoil your customers, build brand loyalty, and foster a good work environment, how can you lose?
Take some advice from your own news feed: Seven habits of the ultra wealthy.
Marissa, I'm sorry that so many have thrown stones at you (myself included). Your position as Yahoo CEO, in addition to your very bad decision to stop employee telecommuting, has placed you in the firing line. It's not a comfortable place to be and you'll have to grow a thicker skin to survive it. I hope you're open to some good advice as I've outlined in my 10 ideas to improve Yahoo. If not, I won't be offended.
Don't hold one bad decision up as a reason not to like Marissa Mayer. She could turn out to be a very good CEO in spite of this one bump. Nobody's perfect.
As a stone thrower, I'd like to say that I'd take some sage advice from the worldwide audience and make some changes that really matter at Yahoo. Telecommuting is not your problem. It never was. The problems existed before telecommuting. The problems associated with telecommuting are a symptom of the real problem. And, yes, I could do better, though I'll never get the chance to do so.
One final suggestion: See if Microsoft is still interested in buying Yahoo.
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Talkback
Yep,
Yep, here is why it was unwise...
"facilitating workers’ needs for additional worktime"
I would add an eleventh point: Stop pretending you can become Google.
Dump stuff that doesn't work. What, like telecommuting?
I have only known 1 person that "worked" for Yahoo! and he telecommuted. If he had worked for me, I would have fired him. He spent much more time NOT doing Yahoo! work than doing his own thing.
There is a strong strong possibility telecommuting was fundamentally broken at Yahoo! and I know you don't know the answer. Neither do I.
So far, I have seen marked improvements in Yahoo!'s properties from Flickr to their new mobile home pages. In fact, all of their mobile properties have shown improvements over the last 6 months.
Meanwhile, all reporters can do is whine that Yahoo! cut off telecommuting.
As for "Seriously, has your top talent bailed along with your revenue?". This is simply horrid reporting as you have not even looked at the financials since Mrs. Mayer took over or you would not have written that silly statement.
Yahoo! has been in serious decline since 2008 or so. It will take a few years to turn that around (if it is possible). Given the massive deterioration of Google's web properties (they are ugly and busy anymore with animated ads even showing up on their main home page. Google's tablet news page is a buggy mess that is almost non-functional) since Mayer left, however, she may be doing many things right.
Different strokes
I also see the other side, having worked off-site for 15 years, when I suddenly had to work back at base and use my 15 years of "networking" within the company to find another project, I was suddenly sitting high-and-dry, because I hardly knew anybody at the company.
In my case, it wasn't telecommuting, I spent 15 years working on customer sites in small teams of 2 - 4 people, many of whom had left the company by the time I went back to base.
If I had worked centrally for at least a few months each year, I would have known my colleagues, could have networked better and kept betting in contact. On the one side, I was at fault, when I did meet people at annual meetings etc., I didn't stay in contact afterwards, but living in a hotel all week or commuting 5 hours a day, you don't really have the time or energy to keep in touch with "casual acquaintances.
It takes good management
Employees that are not being productive out of the office (and certainly there are some that just can't maintain value outside of the office) most certainly should be brought back in. If such employees are disgruntled and quit, do you care? But when a blanket policy reduces incentive and production of valuable employees just so your bottom non-performers don't feel singled-out, it seems awfully backward.
2,3,4 & 5
When they were at home they weren't listening to the users.
I am NOT doing business they way business was done 6000 years ago. I am a mobile business.. I PAY for business email. I depend on being able to get to that email from from a TOUCH SCREEN device anyplace I have an internet connection. I don't want to have to carry a laptop/netbook everyhwhere I go.
How did they not listen? they hired some really good talent and used it to redesign the product, BUSINESS EMAIL, so it wouldn't work for a mobile based business using a touch screen device..
They designed a "NEW IMPROVED WEB EMAIL" that wouldn't work on a touch screen device while at the same time developing an mobile email Application for touch screen devices that doesn't access the business email.
HOW DID THAT STUPIDITY HAPPEN???
I think is was because they were already taking your advise and the "business" services people were thinking that Business was still being done from a desk top in an office and "mobile services" people think the only people using anything mobile were only interested in "free social networking" so there was no need to make the mobile app work with the business email.
Maybe if the "business services developers" and the "social services developers" are eating lunch in the same lunch room every day, they will accidently overhear a conversation that might make them stop and say. "WOW.. Who knew that business was now being done on touch screen devices? Maybe we need to make sure our mobile app can do more than get the free email for socializing."
I pay for BUSINESS EMAIL so I can get away from the useless advertising on the free email system and to keep my BUSINESS life seperate from my SOCIAL life.
I don't think it will happen if the "business" designers are in the same building with the
Unless the quote from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics was misquoted
"Apparently Ms. Mayer has never read the US Bureau of Labor Statistics report, "The hard truth about telecommuting," that states the following in its lede:
"Telecommuting has not permeated the American workplace, and where it has become commonly used, it is not helpful in reducing work-family conflicts; telecommuting appears, instead, to have become instrumental in the general expansion of work hours, facilitating workers’ needs for additional worktime beyond the standard workweek and/or the ability of employers to increase or intensify work demands among their salaried employees."'
This would appear to be an argument IN FAVOR of Ms Mayer's decision to curtail telecommuting? It's saying that telecommuting has resulted in a less beneficial environment for employees.
Ken Hess failed reading comprehension in high school
Wrong
Yes, wrong
Plus...
Which can be very dangerous to morale.
In addition, I am NOT of the belief that our society should be all about work. That's a rather narrow minded view of how our society should be.
Thoughts
"Have a workable vision. Forget the silly Mission Statements that no one listens to. Have a vision and carry it through."
A good mission statement is simply a workable vision wrapped up in a small, easy to understand message. If your business and employees are not listening to your mission statement, how can you expect them to follow your vision?
"Seriously, has your top talent bailed along with your revenue?"
The answer is a resounding YES. You can thank Microsoft for that.
"Take some advice from your own news feed. 7 Habits of the Ultra Wealthy."
I prefer "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey. Far more in depth, and easily one of the best leadership books out there.
"One final suggestion: See if Microsoft is still interested in buying Yahoo!"
The problem with that proposed deal was that their cultures were night and day, and the top talent at Yahoo! would never work for Microsoft. The deal was all about the money, and would not have benefited Yahoo! in any other way. There was no way it would have worked out, even if it actually went through. Yahoo! was crippled greatly by even the threat of the deal - most of their top talent actually did leave when they discovered they were about to be bought by Microsoft.
Yahoo ... cringe and shiver !
I'm more than astounded and perplexed that Yahoo can make a living of that mess altogether ?
Their mobile is really good.
Repaint!
And I concur with the author; multiple redesigns of the layout are only hurting, not helping. I've given up on Yahoo News; waiting for someone to match their sport page, then I'm done with it too.
Whats wrong with the current crop of designers - Change.
Change for changes sake is never a good thing however, it's said Yahoo has a culture problem i.e. a people problem... The quickest way to change that is to change the people. Seems she is on the right track... a bold move but will it work???
Working More vs Effectiveness
I would suggest working more hours does not equate with being more effective with the hours spent. Part of the culture at Yahoo! was to collaborate often, working in short develop cycles, get feedback often and quickly iterate through the Software Development Life Cycle. If working from home has caused this cycle to slow down or miss a beat, I could definitely see a major change needing to occur to get things back on cycle. I also think that managers, manage best when they meet regularly with their staff, focus on goals/delivery and have ways of keep tabs on staff to make sure they are not working on other company's work. (a big problem in Silicon Valley).
The article is a bit disingenuous