job flexibility and working from home

Mar 6, 2013

It’s all over the news — companies that once embraced allowing employees to work remotely are putting an end to their work-from-home policies. As someone that works from home, of course, I want to know why! And so does Mr. IloveBEINGonHOLD Cremeans…

Perry can be placed on hold from anywhere in the world!

Yahoo! and Best Buy seem to be getting the most press for their recent changes. Initial reports on Yahoo’s policy change were characterized as a ban on working from home. After the initial announcement and much criticism, reports now say the change specifically targeted 200 employees that reportedly “did little work” and even started up their own companies on the side. (Read on Mashable) I get THAT, Yahoo!

And it seems to me that while Best Buy is ending its ROWE program (results only work environment), they aren’t really banning the ability to work from home either. They stress that employees can still work from home with a manager’s approval. (I figure this loosely translates to… if you can’t show that you’ve done anything after a few days working at home, you are required to work in an office where your manager can either see why… or monitor your projects more closely to keep you on track.) Jeff Shelman (of Best Buy), told The Huffington Post, “Working from home used to be a right, now its a discussion.” I have no problem understanding that position either.

One thing I’ve learned from experience, you guys — some people simply lack discipline and require a strict schedule (and someone to make certain they adhere to it) to be productive.

I understand as well as anybody how difficult — and rewarding — working from home can be. While it’s a perfect fit for some (those dedicated workers who are focused and committed… investing more time and effort than they would if they were on a 9 to 5 stint), it just doesn’t work for others (those who will do some work AFTER playing around on personal social media sites, taking a nap, and baking cupcakes).