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RE: Productivity and Accountability

marcia.j.wilson — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:42:49 GMT

[quote][b]Sean of the Lynchmob (3/26/2013)[/b][hr]As to Yahoo's decision, it was bad management that has got them into a bad position, looks like they want to start amending that position with another bad management decision![/quote]Well said.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

Sean of the Lynchmob — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:02:00 GMT

Personally, I do find I actually get more done when working at home - there are far more distractions in the office than at home, where I can just steam ahead with what I need to do. And getting the dog out into the countryside for my lunch break makes a nice welcome change and clears my mind better than being stuck in the middle of a boring business park!Having said that, I prefer being in the office for the simple reason that I like to keep my work and home lives seperate. However, on the odd occassion when I need to work at home, it is good to know that the opportunity is there. As to Yahoo's decision, it was bad management that has got them into a bad position, looks like they want to start amending that position with another bad management decision!

RE: Productivity and Accountability

Gary Varga — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 05:05:26 GMT

[quote][b]marcia.j.wilson (3/12/2013)[/b][hr]<snip/>The other thing that I've run into is the expectation that I will be always available. I've had people call me late at night that wouldn't think of calling someone who worked in the office late.<snip/>.[/quote]You've gotta love the late night calls along with the "I know it's 10pm but I also know you like to start early so you have plenty of time to..."

RE: Productivity and Accountability

TravisDBA — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:55:09 GMT

[quote][b]marcia.j.wilson (3/12/2013)[/b]Working in IT, I don't expect to work just 8 to 5. There are times when I expect to be called out-of-hours.[/quote]Well of course, I do too. However, that was not the point of my post. it was the mindset I was referring to that alot of people (particularly managers) have about people working remotely. At least in my 25 years of experience anyway.:-D

RE: Productivity and Accountability

marcia.j.wilson — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:23:53 GMT

[quote][b]TravisDBA (3/12/2013)[/b][hr]They tend to assume this because for all they know you have been watching TV all day while you were on the computer connected remotely to the office., So, in their little minds you not have NOT really put in an "honest" days work. I know this is not always correct for all managers. but I am just pointing out the general mindset here. I have seen it too many times in the past from a lot of management over the years. If you are working from home, you got it easy as far as many managers are concerned. Therefore, contacting you at midnight shouldn't be a problem. Thats just the way many of them think. :-D[/quote]Actually, I've had less problem from management than from co-workers. When I have had management call me in the evening, it [i]usually[/i] has been something where there's a good reason to call me out of hours.Working in IT, I don't expect to work just 8 to 5. There are times when I expect to be called out-of-hours.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

TravisDBA — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:30:05 GMT

They tend to assume this because for all they know you have been watching TV all day while you were on the computer connected remotely to the office., So, in their little minds you not have NOT really put in an "honest" days work. I know this is not always correct for all managers. but I am just pointing out the general mindset here. I have seen it too many times in the past from a lot of management over the years. If you are working from home, you got it easy as far as many managers are concerned. Therefore, contacting you at midnight shouldn't be a problem. Thats just the way many of them think. :-D

RE: Productivity and Accountability

Dave62 — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:39:10 GMT

[quote][b]marcia.j.wilson (3/12/2013)[/b][hr]... The other thing that I've run into is the expectation that I will be always available. I've had people call me late at night that wouldn't think of calling someone who worked in the office late.I've had to learn to manage expectations. ...[/quote]I can relate to this because I once worked with someone who expected everyone who worked from home to be available 24x7 because that was how he operated. I let him know that I didn't mind putting in a few extra hours and taking a few extra calls so that the privilege of working from home was also a privilege to the company but under no circumstances was I going to be available 24x7.We had a great working relationship after that. The lines were drawn and the expectations managed. ;-)

RE: Productivity and Accountability

marcia.j.wilson — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:18:33 GMT

[quote][b]Steve Jones - SSC Editor (3/12/2013)[/b][hr][quote][b]paul.knibbs (3/7/2013)[/b][hr]I think there's another possible reason to not want to work from home. Speaking personally, I like to keep home and work in their own separate compartments--I'll work from home if I absolutely have to, but I really don't like doing it. If I had a large enough house to set up a room specifically for home working then it might be different, but since I don't, I keep them apart.[/quote]Perfectly valid, and a good reason. I'll tell you from my experience (and my wife), separating the two is hard. It's much harder to stop working than it is to get motivated to start.[/quote]I love working from home, but I have experienced the need to learn when to stop.The other thing that I've run into is the expectation that I will be always available. I've had people call me late at night that wouldn't think of calling someone who worked in the office late.I've had to learn to manage expectations.It is a privilege. Because of that, I figure I should put in extra. But I've had to learn to set boundaries on myself and others.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

Steve Jones - SSC Editor — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:25:16 GMT

[quote][b]G Bryant McClellan (3/7/2013)[/b][hr]Accountability is a huge factor in being granted the privilege. And except for outsourcing, it IS a privilege.[/quote]Yep, should be treated like that. You can't handle it, you lose the privilege.BTW, this is no different than being in an office. Some people need the boss to come over multiple times a day to keep them on track, some don't. In the past we'd find slackers "moved" to within eyesight of the boss' desk in an office. Same thing here.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

Steve Jones - SSC Editor — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:23:45 GMT

[quote][b]phegedusich (3/7/2013)[/b][hr]So, is Yahoo going to drop offshore resources? Or do they have a facility in Bangalore where they can gather their employees?[/quote]They have offices all over. The requirement was that you work in a Yahoo office, any one, not necessarily the main one in Silicon Valley.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

Steve Jones - SSC Editor — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:22:36 GMT

[quote][b]paul.knibbs (3/7/2013)[/b][hr]I think there's another possible reason to not want to work from home. Speaking personally, I like to keep home and work in their own separate compartments--I'll work from home if I absolutely have to, but I really don't like doing it. If I had a large enough house to set up a room specifically for home working then it might be different, but since I don't, I keep them apart.[/quote]Perfectly valid, and a good reason. I'll tell you from my experience (and my wife), separating the two is hard. It's much harder to stop working than it is to get motivated to start.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

TravisDBA — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:10:20 GMT

[quote][b]Dave62 (3/8/2013)[/b][hr]It seems more likely that they will equally look the other way even if this person is in the office full time with all the same problems and having to take personal calls and make constant runs out of the office to deal with them. (and if they don't put up with it in the office then they shouldn't put up with it for telecommuters either)[/quote]Not really, managers like this always seem to put up with this with remote workers because [b]at the office[/b] that behavior is much more noticeable than it is from home. The manager notices it from home and if he/she has no spine then nothing gets done. However, at work others tend to notice this much more and then it ultimately gets mentioned to HR by them and then HR takes steps to rectify it, Even if the manager won't move on it. I have personally seen this in action many times over the years. I've even seen managers get fired trying to cover this up too. It is the combination of telcommuting with bad management oversight that is the real problem here, not just telecommuting itself . I did not mean to imply that it was just telecommuting. However, the occurence percentage for it happening does tend go up with telecommuting in general IMHO and in my experience over 25 years in the industry. :-D

RE: Productivity and Accountability

SQL_Enthusiast — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:12:56 GMT

The simple fact I support working from home boils down to location. I live in the middle of nowhere, which is 120 miles from nothing. Over the last 9 years, I have worked from home for two companies. If neither of those companies hired remote workers, then I'd still be looking for work. Remote employees have the luxury of working from home, no commuting, and no dealing with attitudes of co-workers; however, we do lose the ability to collaborate with others in a “one-on-one” fashion, as we have to plan our workdays better. At the office, we have supervisors watching our every move and keeping us on track. At home, we only have ourselves to manage. Hands down, I prefer my remote location in the middle of nowhere, secluded from stress of big city, loud noise, and bright lights over the option of working from a office. If my company tells me no more remote employees, then they are now short one Senior Analyst.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

Dave62 — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 11:23:59 GMT

[quote][b]TravisDBA (3/8/2013)[/b][hr]... If managment is continually going to give people a pass all the time with comments like "Well Travis, be understanding she is dealing with a lot right now with going through a divorce and dealing with three unmanageable kids", then all the rules and the policies are not going to mean a thing. ...[/quote]Again, this has nothing to do with a telecommuting problem. I can't believe management will only ask you give this person a pass if they are telecommuting. It seems more likely that they will equally look the other way even if this person is in the office full time with all the same problems and having to take personal calls and make constant runs out of the office to deal with them. (and if they don't put up with it in the office then they shouldn't put up with it for telecommuters either)This just reinforces my point that ultimately the problem is with the company not telecommuting.And again, there are plenty of companies already doing this with great success...

RE: Productivity and Accountability

TravisDBA — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:40:46 GMT

"The problems with telecommuting come down to these things:1) A company must have policies in place for monitoring and tracking progress (and of course enforce such policies - aka: accountability)"[b]Well there's the rub isn't it? Enforcement. If managment is continually going to give people a pass all the time with comments like "Well Travis, be understanding she is dealing with a lot right now with going through a divorce and dealing with three unmanageable kids", then all the rules and the policies are not going to mean a thing.[/b]"2) The potential telecommuter must not have personal circumstances that prevent her or him from being productive while working remotely."[b]The reality is that they usually do.[/b]:-D

RE: Productivity and Accountability

Dave62 — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:05:07 GMT

Clearly, there are successful companies that are thriving in this global economy and making good use of telecommuters to achieve their goals. I worked for one and cited in my first post how a company can do this correctly.The problems with telecommuting come down to these things:1) A company must have policies in place for monitoring and tracking progress (and of course enforce such policies - aka: accountability)2) The potential telecommuter must not have personal circumstances that prevent her or him from being productive while working remotely.[b]The most important thing (and this is where Yahoo is failing) is the number 1 item above.[/b]If a company is tracking progress and holding employees accountable correctly then they will be in a position to [b]know[/b] if there are any deficiencies in performance no mater what the reason.Simple: - No performance problem, telecommute all you want and keep up the good work. - Performance problem, work in the office and if the problem continues there's the door.Yahoo will make a great test case. If they don't learn how to track progress and make people accountable even after being ordered back into the office then they won't be around long and case closedAs long as there are companies doing this successfully it will be difficult to make a credible case against telecommuting. Especially when all the failures ultimately point back to the company not the employee. ;-)

RE: Productivity and Accountability

jfogel — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 09:37:32 GMT

I agree with Travis because of personal experience. On top of the points mentioned those who work from home also become the default when it comes to chores. Sick kid? you work from home so go get them. Handy man coming? Deal with it. The spouse ET AL stop understanding that you actually need to work but since you are home it isn't any big deal to take care of anything and everything that comes up.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

TravisDBA — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 09:31:43 GMT

[quote][b]SQLRNNR (3/7/2013)[/b]In the office or via remote - distractions are distractions. If you are successful in the office space you will probably be successful via remote. If you are prone to office distractions - then you won't be any more successful at home than in the office..[/quote]No, they are really not. Dealing with a occasional noisy cube-mate is much different than dealing with three screaming kids running around the house like banshees, barking dogs, nagging housewives, whining dishwashers, roaring lawnmowers, and imposing neighbors stopping by and interupting you all the time. Believe me, they are two totally different kinds of distractions.:-D

RE: Productivity and Accountability

TravisDBA — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 09:18:33 GMT

If you don't have noisy children or a nagging significant other at home then maybe, but it has been my experience that the quality of work as well as the quantity overall tends to suffer with remote access employees from ALL the jobs I have worked at over the years, not just the government ones. You might find an occasional dedicated employee that can work remotely, independently and unsupervised, but I have found that to be the exception rather than the rule in my experience in 25 years in the business. :-D

RE: Productivity and Accountability

marcia.j.wilson — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 07:58:29 GMT

[quote][b]SQLRNNR (3/7/2013)[/b] ... In the office, you have to worry about the office mouths, coffee pot and water cooler more than the office eyes. In the office or via remote - distractions are distractions. If you are successful in the office space you will probably be successful via remote. If you are prone to office distractions - then you won't be any more successful at home than in the office.The key is self-management. I prefer telecommute. I also recognize the value of face-time and work that in where plausible and necessary.[/quote]Agree, especially with the part about self-management. I do find that I don't have nearly as many distractions at home as I do at the office. I also realize that won't be the case for everyone.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

SQLRNNR — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:10:51 GMT

[quote][b]TravisDBA (3/7/2013)[/b][hr][quote][b]Dave62 (3/7/2013)[/b][hr]Procrastination and laziness, distractions from a variety of different sources can occur equally in the office or at home. ;-)[/quote]Agreed, but [u]the propensity for this happening is much greater with remote access than it is away from the "office eyes and ears"[/u]. At least it ihas been in my 25 years of experience anyway. BTW, I have worked for many organizations including the government that have huge amounts of policies, procedures, and protocols in place and it still occurs. :-D[/quote]I think the opposite to be true. In the office, you have to worry about the office mouths, coffee pot and water cooler more than the office eyes. In the office or via remote - distractions are distractions. If you are successful in the office space you will probably be successful via remote. If you are prone to office distractions - then you won't be any more successful at home than in the office.The key is self-management. I prefer telecommute. I also recognize the value of face-time and work that in where plausible and necessary.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

TravisDBA — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:21:30 GMT

[quote][b]marcia.j.wilson (3/7/2013)[/b][hr]Except that some are not happier working at home. .[/quote]True. I know people who would not telecommute even if it was offered because working at the office gives them a break from the significant other that is at home getting on their nerves all the time.:-D

RE: Productivity and Accountability

marcia.j.wilson — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:01:10 GMT

[quote] The people that do well as telecommuters typically do well in an office. They're just happier at home where they can juggle tasks. The people that slack off in offices, won't do well at home. We might blame slacking off on being away from supervision, but my experience is that people that don't want to work hard, don't. [/quote]Very true. (Except that some are not happier working at home. Personally, I am. Especially on a day like yesterday where we got 6 inches of snow.)There are some jobs that require more face time, so telecommuting doesn't work for all. But I find I can get much more done at home due to not having to tune out all of the distractions.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

David Benoit — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:58:56 GMT

I think that is the point, Travis. The organization should have performance measures in place to ensure that an employee is performing in a manner that is productive. I think we can both say, sadly, that we have known many people that are there physically, following all the protocols, standards, etc and yet are not productive in any manner. Especially if you have worked for the government. :) Obviously this means that the organization has clear defined goals and those goals are translated down to the team, and the individual, AND that there is a manner in which the employee can be held accountable to those goals / measures. I'm sure you understand.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

TravisDBA — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:50:24 GMT

[quote][b]Dave62 (3/7/2013)[/b][hr]Procrastination and laziness, distractions from a variety of different sources can occur equally in the office or at home. ;-)[/quote]Agreed, but the propensity for this happening is much greater with remote access than it is away from the "office eyes and ears". At least it ihas been in my 25 years of experience anyway. BTW, I have worked for many organizations including the government that have huge amounts of policies, procedures, and protocols in place and it still occurs. :-D

RE: Productivity and Accountability

Dave62 — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:03:03 GMT

TravisDBA, I think all the issues you mentioned are symptoms of a company that doesn't have policies and procedures in place that keep people accountable.Procrastination and laziness, distractions from a variety of different sources can occur equally in the office or at home. If a company has a management style that can regularly monitor and track productivity it will work equally well for people in the office or telecommuting. If they don't, they can attempt to compensate by not allowing telecommuting but all that will do is mask the underlying management problem.There are plenty of examples of companies that do this correctly. The companies that don't have bigger problems, which have nothing to do with telecommuting. ;-)

RE: Productivity and Accountability

TravisDBA — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 12:47:16 GMT

No, it is not just about getting work done. It is also about accessibility, face time, not being prone to procrastination and laziness, distractions from a variety of different sources at home, managability, working on personal projects instead of working on work, isolation from the rest of the team. Last but not least it is about showing up and being there everyday and just being available. There are many factors that affect this. Steve, with all due respect, you are gone alot because we all read articles that you have published long before many times over in your absense. So, if that works for you, then that's fine for you. But I can tell you from my personal situation if I was having someone fill in for me all the time at my workplace for whatever reasons (away at SQL conferences, vacations, managing a horse ranch, or whatever) I wouldn't last long here at all, even if I had remote access, it wouldn't matter. I can tell you that for sure. it just doesn't work for most practical situations in production IT departments that I have been in over the last 25 years. i showed up at a co-workers house once that had a work at home arrangement and he answered the door in a robe and bare feet with three screaming kids in the background. Not a real conducive working environment IMHO. That explained alot about his quality of work as well. That is one of the real big problems about remote access is it is tough for a company to manage that kind of thing when they don't see it for themselves.:-D

RE: Productivity and Accountability

krowley — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 10:40:22 GMT

I read an article that said remote workers made up less than 3% of Yahoo's workforce. If Yahoo management thinks that 3% of workers not working in the office is even remotely responsible for their current problems they are crazy.[quote]If you are accountable for your productivity and complete all your work, you're a success. If you don't, you're not. It's that simple.[/quote]Those of us who work in jobs where this is true are the lucky ones. I have worked jobs where the point seemed to be just being there NOT accomplishing anything. I hated them but my employers were happy because I was always there on time and worked my 10 hours. I would like to add one more point. Some jobs don't work well in an office setting. My dad works in IT and is the admin over a a bunch of Windows Servers. He has to essentially be on call 24-7 to respond to any problems with his servers and often has to do upgrades late at night. He could never be available to get all his work done if he had to be in an office to do all of it because of the hurry up and wait nature of what he does. He will often start a process on one of his servers then go off and do something around the house for the 40 minutes in takes to process. If he were working in an office this would be wasted time as the company would be paying him to wait for the server to work. Since he works from home and is salaried he simply works as much time as it takes to get his job done, when the work needs to be done.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

David Benoit — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:57:10 GMT

[quote][b]Dave62 (3/7/2013)[/b][hr]I think the last thought in your article says it all: "... ultimately employee success comes down to each person being held accountable for their work."If a company (Yahoo) fails to do this for telecommuters then they probably won't do it very well for people in the office either. Conversely, if they already did this well for teams in the office then there probably wouldn't be a telecommuting issue in the first place.[/quote]I completely agree. Having had similar experience to what Dave62 describes with a global company, remote workers, whether at home or in a remote office, is a reality that has to be faced. IF Yahoo was doing this as a temporary stop gap while they got their house in order and established solid measures to ensure that all employees are being productive, both remote and in office, then that would be fine. If it is just a reaction to poor performing employees then the problem is much deeper than just having remote employees, and the situation won't get appreciably better. Consider for a moment having performance measured by how much VPN traffic you used to determine if you are being an effective employee. Does that seem silly to anyone else? How do they measure the internal employees - how many times a manager sees them at their desk? Really? If so, that is sad. Don't get me wrong, as a remote employee, I make it a point to ensure that I am online when I am supposed to be, responding to requests more quickly than in-office people, so that I avoid any negative focus, and probably work more hours than necessary. That is part of the pain point that I think goes along with being remote. I say all that to state that I don't take the measure of "VPN activity" lightly, rather stating that "VPN activity" alone is not a valid measure of an employees productivity. Again, this whole thing implies a much deeper problem than remote workers.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

Miles Neale — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:49:13 GMT

Thanks Steve!I do not work from home often but will when I need to. But there are cycles in what I do. If I am working on policy or a strategy where there is more collaboration need to be in the office. Also if I am advising a development team on things to do and avoid I need that face-to-face time. However when I am working on a proof of concept where I might write some research code for a few weeks or longer, that heads down work could be done at home. I choose to do that in the office however, and just put the headphones on, crank up the volume, and ignore the rest of the world. Over the years I have come to realize that you can be another place mentally while you are still in the office physically. Some may think that crazy but high mental thought can transcend location. It is not daydreaming, it is the Tao. :-):-):-)M.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

nelsonj-902869 — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:46:32 GMT

[quote][b]Dave62 (3/7/2013)[/b][hr]Yahoo's decision to end telecommuting is another fail on their part not on their employee's.I worked for a global technology company where teams made up from people on several continents collaborated remotely to implement solutions all over the world. It was very rare for us to travel and get any face time. I think it happened once every 3 years or so. Some of these implementations were very high visibility in the $40+ million range.The company has accountability policies that helped these teams work successfully. The teams did weekly status updates to track progress, mitigate issues, and define action items for the next week. Management would meet with team leaders monthly to track progress, make decisions, and set or change priorities.This system worked equally well for teams that were together in one location working on local projects as it did for the global teams.I think the last thought in your article says it all: "... ultimately employee success comes down to each person being held accountable for their work."If a company (Yahoo) fails to do this for telecommuters then they probably won't do it very well for people in the office either. Conversely, if they already did this well for teams in the office then there probably wouldn't be a telecommuting issue in the first place.[/quote]Part of what Dave62 speaks to is correct, but part is not. It is wonderful that HIS company can do the projects that he tells us of and reading about such team work and individual cooperation in projects is something we all should try to achieve. However, everyone needs to realize that Yahoo is not having the same type of results with their project work. Something is NOT working at Yahoo and the "new" management has decided to start over by having everyone work at the office where better results are the hopeful outcome. I'm sure that once the dust settles at Yahoo that telecommuting will be offered, but you can bet there will be different rules applied to how and when. Better to be able to work at the office then to have the company fail and everyone lose their jobs. Time will tell if the new CEO has made a blunder or the best decision at Yahoo in 5 years.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

jfogel — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:05:57 GMT

My wife is an RN who works 7pm - 7am three days a week so she is home usually during the day and the kids get home at 2:30 from school. Just try to get work done with people around making noise, etc that has nothing to do with work. Being able to work remotely when I have to is great but I'd never want to do that every day. For me getting out of the house mon-fri at a minimum is a good thing.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

G Bryant McClellan — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 07:25:43 GMT

Accountability is a huge factor in being granted the privilege. And except for outsourcing, it IS a privilege.Having the ability also makes it possible for some of to continue working when others cannot even get [i]to[/i] the office. In the IT world that can be a critical factor.There is definitely a need for separation, however. If your work environment is not the best but, at least for the time being, it is what you have to do then there is nothing worse than living with that environment 24 hours per day. I did that while working in an office and it nearly cost me something very dear. Granted, it was a toxic environment in the first place and I am glad it is behind me but I head to learn to leave work at the office door. Once I did that, plus the drive home for decompression time, it was easier to compartmentalize those things and leave them at work...for tomorrow they will still be there. If you can effectively do that in the hallway between your home office and the kitchen, more power to you. If not, working from home may not be the best option for you.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

Dave62 — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 06:56:32 GMT

Yahoo's decision to end telecommuting is another fail on their part not on their employee's.I worked for a global technology company where teams made up from people on several continents collaborated remotely to implement solutions all over the world. It was very rare for us to travel and get any face time. I think it happened once every 3 years or so. Some of these implementations were very high visibility in the $40+ million range.The company has accountability policies that helped these teams work successfully. The teams did weekly status updates to track progress, mitigate issues, and define action items for the next week. Management would meet with team leaders monthly to track progress, make decisions, and set or change priorities.This system worked equally well for teams that were together in one location working on local projects as it did for the global teams.I think the last thought in your article says it all: "... ultimately employee success comes down to each person being held accountable for their work."If a company (Yahoo) fails to do this for telecommuters then they probably won't do it very well for people in the office either. Conversely, if they already did this well for teams in the office then there probably wouldn't be a telecommuting issue in the first place.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

GA Programmer — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 06:43:32 GMT

I find it interesting that this seems to be a very personal issue for some, especially those who already telecommute. I have done both and find the physical separation of work and home to be theraputic, but then again, that is personal to me.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

phegedusich — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 05:50:19 GMT

So, is Yahoo going to drop offshore resources? Or do they have a facility in Bangalore where they can gather their employees?

RE: Productivity and Accountability

Gary Varga — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 05:39:59 GMT

The best thing I found about working from home was the lack of a need to look busy. As someone who prefers to start really early I am continually told I need to work as hard as a peer who usually does no more work than me but rolls in late(r) but is there in the office late. It is a perception that I have had to fight hard over the years.The real question is productivity. This can be measured but can only be attained by a mature team (ability - not age).It makes perfect sense to regularly have face-to-face meetings (regularly being defined by what is required as opposed to some artificial timespan).Also, if there is a requirement to support someone which requires physical co-location then this is a requirement for as long as it is required not as long as it is convenient nor as long as it is wanted to be enforced. An example is for new team members joining. The length of time for one or more existing members of the team will vary with the experience of the new team member, their character, what they have been tasked to do and the various attributes of the peers that they need to work with.Basically, I think that the Yahoo management and some of their existing employees are acting immaturely.Boo hoo :-P

RE: Productivity and Accountability

Stuart Davies — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 03:34:17 GMT

Remote working doesn't work for me at the moment.I don't have an office at home where I can lock my self away, with my wife working part time and kids coming home from school before my end of day it can be difficult for me to work - that might just be me though.Most people walk up to my desk when they need something, rather than phone me - they don't try my mobile phone if I'm not at my desk - so it has happened that problems have gone on for longer than needed. Even if I put a note on Lync, in Outlook etc saying I'm working from home with my mobile number - I get missed calls on my desk phone. So maybe the users need educating on how to contact me - my fault in some respects.On the plus side though the end users don't notice a bit where you are working - they are just as happy when you've finished the work no matter where you are.

RE: Productivity and Accountability

paul.knibbs — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 02:11:22 GMT

I think there's another possible reason to not want to work from home. Speaking personally, I like to keep home and work in their own separate compartments--I'll work from home if I absolutely have to, but I really don't like doing it. If I had a large enough house to set up a room specifically for home working then it might be different, but since I don't, I keep them apart.

Productivity and Accountability

Steve Jones - SSC Editor — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:04:12 GMT

Comments posted to this topic are about the item [B]Productivity and Accountability[/B]