Marissa Mayer’s Doing Telecommuters a Favor

Marissa Mayer’s decision to pull the plug on telecommuting at Yahoo! has sparked worldwide debate over its necessity and wisdom.

Obviously, Marissa is taking measures to turn around a floundering business. She said Yahoo! needs “all hands on deck” to get things going in the right direction again. And, earlier this week, the New York Times reported that the decision was made in part, to boost morale. With more than 200 employees working from home, and plenty of empty cubicles as a result, it’s easy to see how the energy of a workplace could be affected.

But what about the telecommuters themselves? Could this actually be a good thing for their careers? Could getting themselves out of their yoga pants and into the office for some networking and face time help them get ahead?

One of our community members, Tish Hevel, a communications consultant, believes that it could. As a work-at-homer herself, Tish shares her perspective in her post, “The Case for Showing up.”

Tish writes, “As a regular member of the no-commute club, I know there are definite advantages to staying in your own pajamas in your own home and petting your own big black dog while working. It saves time, money and wear and tear – on your car, wardrobe and psyche. For certain functions, it’s possible to be much more productive and focused. But over the long haul, and as a routine arrangement for full-time employees…there’s really no argument. It’s a bad idea.”

Tish continues to explain how valuable face time is to morale, relationships and work.

“Simply put,” Tish says, “the presence of people matters – no matter how imperfect, inconvenient and yes, insensitive they can be. I’m with Marissa. I remind myself of this on the days I grudgingly shower, get dressed, slap on some lipstick and scrape the snow from my car. Sales managers love to say it, and I believe they’re on to something. (Thank you John Potter.) You start differentiating yourself when you show up.”

To read Tish’s entire article, click here.

What do you think? Could this be a good career move for those who work from home? Share in the comments!