Yahoo cancels work from home
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Apologies if this is a repost (I know how much that hurts some). Yahoo has abolished work-from-home[^]. I'm wondering how the rest of you feel about it. Speaking for myself, this would be (yet another) sign of time to move to a new employer, as I don't know if I even could work in a regular office anymore. There are just so many tools (IM, Campfire, IRC) that make communication easy.
-------------- TTFN - Kent
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Apologies if this is a repost (I know how much that hurts some). Yahoo has abolished work-from-home[^]. I'm wondering how the rest of you feel about it. Speaking for myself, this would be (yet another) sign of time to move to a new employer, as I don't know if I even could work in a regular office anymore. There are just so many tools (IM, Campfire, IRC) that make communication easy.
-------------- TTFN - Kent
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Apologies if this is a repost (I know how much that hurts some). Yahoo has abolished work-from-home[^]. I'm wondering how the rest of you feel about it. Speaking for myself, this would be (yet another) sign of time to move to a new employer, as I don't know if I even could work in a regular office anymore. There are just so many tools (IM, Campfire, IRC) that make communication easy.
-------------- TTFN - Kent
I've worked from home for a long time and I'd be hard pressed to have to do any real commuting to get to an office on a daily basis. I have remote clients in several countries and across the US and we've figured out how to work together with online tools and phones. It can be done without too much loss of information. For me, working with a small group of clients, working remotely is no big deal. However, there is a definite need to have some face-to-face from time to time. That involves me traveling a few times a year. It's just nice to be able to put a face and a personality with a voice, a Skype name and an email. I can't speak for the situation in a large company, but I can see both sides of the picture. They have to do what is right for them and I am in no position to judge their decision.
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
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Apologies if this is a repost (I know how much that hurts some). Yahoo has abolished work-from-home[^]. I'm wondering how the rest of you feel about it. Speaking for myself, this would be (yet another) sign of time to move to a new employer, as I don't know if I even could work in a regular office anymore. There are just so many tools (IM, Campfire, IRC) that make communication easy.
-------------- TTFN - Kent
I'm too dumbfounded to respond coherently, so this will be a bit fragmented. First off, The memo says working from the office facilitates more brainstorming. “Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings, (source[^]) is utter tripe. What utter BS. Second, in this day of technology, you can have a better meeting experience with things like Google hangouts than you can trying to coordinate people to show up in a meeting room, get somebody else on a crap quality speaker phone, squint at blurry projected presentations, and so forth. Meeting physically in person is not only not necessary, it's inconvenient, time wasting, and often uncomfortable. Third, and again in this age where we want to be thinking about the ecological impact of commuting, the waste of heating/cooling office space, etc., it's absurd. Fourth, the insensitivity of it, that wouldn't it be better for people who want to work at home and have demonstrated their productivity to not have to commute, so they can spend more time with their family, doing the things they want, rather than sitting in a car / train / bus / subway ? When I worked at Citigroup, most people had a 2 HOUR commute by train and subway, one way. That's 4 hours a day of waste, just transporting their brains and bodies to a cubicle because some arse of a manager thinks it promotes communication. I'm sure I have more points, but at the moment I think is Mrs. Marissa is suffering from postpartum hormonal b*tchiness. Because *she* can't/won't be with her kid. Marc
Latest Article: C# and Ruby Classes: A Deep Dive
My Blog -
I'm too dumbfounded to respond coherently, so this will be a bit fragmented. First off, The memo says working from the office facilitates more brainstorming. “Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings, (source[^]) is utter tripe. What utter BS. Second, in this day of technology, you can have a better meeting experience with things like Google hangouts than you can trying to coordinate people to show up in a meeting room, get somebody else on a crap quality speaker phone, squint at blurry projected presentations, and so forth. Meeting physically in person is not only not necessary, it's inconvenient, time wasting, and often uncomfortable. Third, and again in this age where we want to be thinking about the ecological impact of commuting, the waste of heating/cooling office space, etc., it's absurd. Fourth, the insensitivity of it, that wouldn't it be better for people who want to work at home and have demonstrated their productivity to not have to commute, so they can spend more time with their family, doing the things they want, rather than sitting in a car / train / bus / subway ? When I worked at Citigroup, most people had a 2 HOUR commute by train and subway, one way. That's 4 hours a day of waste, just transporting their brains and bodies to a cubicle because some arse of a manager thinks it promotes communication. I'm sure I have more points, but at the moment I think is Mrs. Marissa is suffering from postpartum hormonal b*tchiness. Because *she* can't/won't be with her kid. Marc
Latest Article: C# and Ruby Classes: A Deep Dive
My BlogI hate to disagree, but I have to say that when I'm working from home (a couple of days a week) I get different things done than when I'm working from work. I don't like my commute, but I'd feel really disconnected if I didn't spend time at the office with my colleagues. On the days I'm home, I get more coding done, and more of the sort of rote management work done. When I'm in the office, I chat with people who I wouldn't have set up a meeting with, and find out what's going on in a broader, less targeted way than when I'm at home. It's true that technology makes it less important to be there and, for example, sometimes pair programming is better done with screen sharing and VOIP than sitting in a chair and craning to see the code on the screen. But I feel that the social interaction/brainstorming/overhearing that occurs at the office just doesn't happen as well as it does in person.
Tom Clement Serena Software, Inc. www.serena.com articles[^]
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I'm too dumbfounded to respond coherently, so this will be a bit fragmented. First off, The memo says working from the office facilitates more brainstorming. “Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings, (source[^]) is utter tripe. What utter BS. Second, in this day of technology, you can have a better meeting experience with things like Google hangouts than you can trying to coordinate people to show up in a meeting room, get somebody else on a crap quality speaker phone, squint at blurry projected presentations, and so forth. Meeting physically in person is not only not necessary, it's inconvenient, time wasting, and often uncomfortable. Third, and again in this age where we want to be thinking about the ecological impact of commuting, the waste of heating/cooling office space, etc., it's absurd. Fourth, the insensitivity of it, that wouldn't it be better for people who want to work at home and have demonstrated their productivity to not have to commute, so they can spend more time with their family, doing the things they want, rather than sitting in a car / train / bus / subway ? When I worked at Citigroup, most people had a 2 HOUR commute by train and subway, one way. That's 4 hours a day of waste, just transporting their brains and bodies to a cubicle because some arse of a manager thinks it promotes communication. I'm sure I have more points, but at the moment I think is Mrs. Marissa is suffering from postpartum hormonal b*tchiness. Because *she* can't/won't be with her kid. Marc
Latest Article: C# and Ruby Classes: A Deep Dive
My BlogWhile I do wish my company would let me work from home from time to time
Marc Clifton wrote:
waste of heating/cooling office space
I think it's better to heat one office full of 100 people than to heat 100 separate homes that otherwise don't need heating till the evening.
Marc Clifton wrote:
just transporting their brains and bodies to a cubicle
There's the problem. Why, in deed, bother going all the way to the office if all you're going to do is sit by yourself in a cubicle? I work in an open plan office and the intermingling is marginally better. As an aside, I think our company's argument for not allowing work from home is that there is no way to control the hours the employee works. Left to their own devices our employees would work themselves to their graves so they need to make sure they commute so that they only work for the number of hours they are paid for. I'm serious. Mostly... :rolleyes:
Almost, but not quite, entirely unlike... me...
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Apologies if this is a repost (I know how much that hurts some). Yahoo has abolished work-from-home[^]. I'm wondering how the rest of you feel about it. Speaking for myself, this would be (yet another) sign of time to move to a new employer, as I don't know if I even could work in a regular office anymore. There are just so many tools (IM, Campfire, IRC) that make communication easy.
-------------- TTFN - Kent
My theory is that it's a brilliant plot to cut the headcount again without having to pay severance.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies. -- Sarah Hoyt
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I hate to disagree, but I have to say that when I'm working from home (a couple of days a week) I get different things done than when I'm working from work. I don't like my commute, but I'd feel really disconnected if I didn't spend time at the office with my colleagues. On the days I'm home, I get more coding done, and more of the sort of rote management work done. When I'm in the office, I chat with people who I wouldn't have set up a meeting with, and find out what's going on in a broader, less targeted way than when I'm at home. It's true that technology makes it less important to be there and, for example, sometimes pair programming is better done with screen sharing and VOIP than sitting in a chair and craning to see the code on the screen. But I feel that the social interaction/brainstorming/overhearing that occurs at the office just doesn't happen as well as it does in person.
Tom Clement Serena Software, Inc. www.serena.com articles[^]
I agree with you. There are pros and cons to working at home or working in an office with other people. To me, trying to make a one-size-fits-all ruling is a sign of poor management and a better idea would be to figure out the right combination. Saying there will be no working from home would be just as absurd as saying that there would be no working from the office. A judicious combination would be a more reasoned approach.
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
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While I do wish my company would let me work from home from time to time
Marc Clifton wrote:
waste of heating/cooling office space
I think it's better to heat one office full of 100 people than to heat 100 separate homes that otherwise don't need heating till the evening.
Marc Clifton wrote:
just transporting their brains and bodies to a cubicle
There's the problem. Why, in deed, bother going all the way to the office if all you're going to do is sit by yourself in a cubicle? I work in an open plan office and the intermingling is marginally better. As an aside, I think our company's argument for not allowing work from home is that there is no way to control the hours the employee works. Left to their own devices our employees would work themselves to their graves so they need to make sure they commute so that they only work for the number of hours they are paid for. I'm serious. Mostly... :rolleyes:
Almost, but not quite, entirely unlike... me...
PaulowniaK wrote:
I think it's better to heat one office full of 100 people than to heat 100 separate homes that otherwise don't need heating till the evening.
I don't know about your thermostat, but mine can't tell time. My apartment is heated whether I'm home or not. (All the way up to 65 degrees Fahrenheit! :laugh: )
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I hate to disagree, but I have to say that when I'm working from home (a couple of days a week) I get different things done than when I'm working from work. I don't like my commute, but I'd feel really disconnected if I didn't spend time at the office with my colleagues. On the days I'm home, I get more coding done, and more of the sort of rote management work done. When I'm in the office, I chat with people who I wouldn't have set up a meeting with, and find out what's going on in a broader, less targeted way than when I'm at home. It's true that technology makes it less important to be there and, for example, sometimes pair programming is better done with screen sharing and VOIP than sitting in a chair and craning to see the code on the screen. But I feel that the social interaction/brainstorming/overhearing that occurs at the office just doesn't happen as well as it does in person.
Tom Clement Serena Software, Inc. www.serena.com articles[^]
Tom Clement wrote:
But I feel that the social interaction/brainstorming/overhearing that occurs at the office just doesn't happen as well as it does in person.
I've had experiences where I agree with you, but I've also had experiences where being around other people is a distraction, leads to gossip and rumor-mongering, and simply wastes a lot of time. I'm noticing I have a really strong opinion, probably because I like to work in my own environment (my computer hardware and software and environment has, without exception, been superior to what a company has ever provided, except for a client that I worked with once that supplied me with some amazing hardware), I like to set my own hours where I don't have to work (or look like I'm working) when I need to take a mental break to get some creative ideas on how to tackle a problem, etc. Basically, what I want an employer to do is to give me the freedom to choose what is the best way for me to get the work done. I'm not opposed to coming in to an office, but I am opposed to stupid rules preventing me from being a sane, productive, individual. All too often, I think that employees are little more than indentured slaves. Marc
Latest Article: C# and Ruby Classes: A Deep Dive
My Blog -
PaulowniaK wrote:
I think it's better to heat one office full of 100 people than to heat 100 separate homes that otherwise don't need heating till the evening.
I don't know about your thermostat, but mine can't tell time. My apartment is heated whether I'm home or not. (All the way up to 65 degrees Fahrenheit! :laugh: )
lewax00 wrote:
I don't know about your thermostat
Yeah, the good thing is, I don't have one of those! I just hit the ON button on my gas fan heater when I get home and turn it off on my way out. ;)
Almost, but not quite, entirely unlike... me...
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lewax00 wrote:
I don't know about your thermostat
Yeah, the good thing is, I don't have one of those! I just hit the ON button on my gas fan heater when I get home and turn it off on my way out. ;)
Almost, but not quite, entirely unlike... me...
Well I see you're profile says you're in Japan, so maybe things are different there. In the U.S. at least, there wouldn't be an additional cost to staying home in terms of heating for most people, but I could see that varying from region to region...even where I grew up, a decent portion of homes are still heated by wood stoves, which obviously wouldn't be powered when no one's there, but then I'd still want to compare the cost and environmental impact of wood stoves vs. office heating systems before saying one was a better option than the other. (As for me, I'd rather just wrap up in a blanket, and save both costs...unfortunately I'm not the sole decision maker on that...)
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Apologies if this is a repost (I know how much that hurts some). Yahoo has abolished work-from-home[^]. I'm wondering how the rest of you feel about it. Speaking for myself, this would be (yet another) sign of time to move to a new employer, as I don't know if I even could work in a regular office anymore. There are just so many tools (IM, Campfire, IRC) that make communication easy.
-------------- TTFN - Kent
-
Apologies if this is a repost (I know how much that hurts some). Yahoo has abolished work-from-home[^]. I'm wondering how the rest of you feel about it. Speaking for myself, this would be (yet another) sign of time to move to a new employer, as I don't know if I even could work in a regular office anymore. There are just so many tools (IM, Campfire, IRC) that make communication easy.
-------------- TTFN - Kent
-
Apologies if this is a repost (I know how much that hurts some). Yahoo has abolished work-from-home[^]. I'm wondering how the rest of you feel about it. Speaking for myself, this would be (yet another) sign of time to move to a new employer, as I don't know if I even could work in a regular office anymore. There are just so many tools (IM, Campfire, IRC) that make communication easy.
-------------- TTFN - Kent
Nail the bastards to a desk, if I can't work from home no other sob should be able to work from home! Do I sound bitter and twisted on this subject, dammed right I do, can't take the data off site, can't work from home, CRAP!
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH
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Apologies if this is a repost (I know how much that hurts some). Yahoo has abolished work-from-home[^]. I'm wondering how the rest of you feel about it. Speaking for myself, this would be (yet another) sign of time to move to a new employer, as I don't know if I even could work in a regular office anymore. There are just so many tools (IM, Campfire, IRC) that make communication easy.
-------------- TTFN - Kent
In my initial phase of career, I worked for few companies. There are basically 3 types of people in work place. Extremely gifted and try hard programmers, stupids and then managers. Managers would call a meeting twice a day as it is their work. Stupids are too happy to attend those as they can't do any work and these rare species of programmers feels frustrated when building a model in their mind, they are distracted by the managers. Then there are open cubicles, you can look around, you can hear around and you have no control over your thoughts. This was one of the primary reasons for my frequent switching of job initially and then dumping the whole idea of a job. I have given liberty to my team to work wherever they can work and whatever amount of time they can work. At the end of the day all we care is a nice product. Don't care if someone does it in 2 hours or 20 hours. We do have occasional mandatory meet ups where we discuss about ideas and to do's . But once a product is voted for take up, we are all our own working in that. In office, home, park, I don't care. For companies in real engineering, design, prototyping, product design you need to give space to every one to keep their brain fresh from worries of commutation and rushing and leaving office in time and of course to be away from stupids. In my country India, in cities like Bangalore employees spends four hours daily on commutation as most of the IT parks are way outside the city. 4 Hours of pure unproductive hassle has killed any scope of innovation or ground breaking work. Hope Yahoo does learn something from Bangalore story which promised a great contribution to IT a few years back but is now all about offshore and maintenance.
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Nail the bastards to a desk, if I can't work from home no other sob should be able to work from home! Do I sound bitter and twisted on this subject, dammed right I do, can't take the data off site, can't work from home, CRAP!
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH
-
Apologies if this is a repost (I know how much that hurts some). Yahoo has abolished work-from-home[^]. I'm wondering how the rest of you feel about it. Speaking for myself, this would be (yet another) sign of time to move to a new employer, as I don't know if I even could work in a regular office anymore. There are just so many tools (IM, Campfire, IRC) that make communication easy.
-------------- TTFN - Kent
Yahoo is but a shadow of it's former glory. Time was when it dictated the rules we all followed. Now, they are trying to revive themselves. They were tossed overboard a long time ago. With their diminishing labour count I'd have thought they'd have embraced working from home. It means they could sell some of the properties.
"I do not have to forgive my enemies, I have had them all shot." — Ramón Maria Narváez (1800-68). "I don't need to shoot my enemies, I don't have any." - Me (2012).
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In my initial phase of career, I worked for few companies. There are basically 3 types of people in work place. Extremely gifted and try hard programmers, stupids and then managers. Managers would call a meeting twice a day as it is their work. Stupids are too happy to attend those as they can't do any work and these rare species of programmers feels frustrated when building a model in their mind, they are distracted by the managers. Then there are open cubicles, you can look around, you can hear around and you have no control over your thoughts. This was one of the primary reasons for my frequent switching of job initially and then dumping the whole idea of a job. I have given liberty to my team to work wherever they can work and whatever amount of time they can work. At the end of the day all we care is a nice product. Don't care if someone does it in 2 hours or 20 hours. We do have occasional mandatory meet ups where we discuss about ideas and to do's . But once a product is voted for take up, we are all our own working in that. In office, home, park, I don't care. For companies in real engineering, design, prototyping, product design you need to give space to every one to keep their brain fresh from worries of commutation and rushing and leaving office in time and of course to be away from stupids. In my country India, in cities like Bangalore employees spends four hours daily on commutation as most of the IT parks are way outside the city. 4 Hours of pure unproductive hassle has killed any scope of innovation or ground breaking work. Hope Yahoo does learn something from Bangalore story which promised a great contribution to IT a few years back but is now all about offshore and maintenance.
I think one of the difficulties is where IT managers have not been competent coders. Any competent coder will probably hold your view - most of my solutions come about while I am away from the desk while walking, exercising or on the crapper. Given this it is obvious to me that good coders are more akin to artists than bean counters and need room and space for their inspiration.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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Apologies if this is a repost (I know how much that hurts some). Yahoo has abolished work-from-home[^]. I'm wondering how the rest of you feel about it. Speaking for myself, this would be (yet another) sign of time to move to a new employer, as I don't know if I even could work in a regular office anymore. There are just so many tools (IM, Campfire, IRC) that make communication easy.
-------------- TTFN - Kent