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Both Yahoo and IBM rolled back their very flexible WFH strategies. I don't think super flexible WFH is a lasting trend, because it's obvious that is doesn't wor

Both Yahoo and IBM rolled back their very flexible WFH strategies. I don't think super flexible WFH is a lasting trend, because it's obvious that is doesn't work for most of the people. I personally love WFH and I know a lot of HN do too, but I think human nature is that it probably won't work very well for most companies.

e40 6y ago
Doesn't work for "most of the people" is highly dependent on the company and position. It works very well for 80% of the positions at my company. I'm sure there are companies for which it only works for a small percentage. The ultimate YMMV.
emodendroket 6y ago
I find most of my work goes well but anything that requires coordination a lot of time gets wasted waiting to hear from people.
mullingitover 6y ago
These don't seem like the greatest examples - eliminating WFH didn't turn Yahoo around (it might've done them in, who knows) and IBM is...well IBM. What the last year has done was to force knee-jerk 'butts in seats' mentality managers to experiment with remote work. It sure seems like the bottom line results haven't proven remote work to be a failure, and while some old timers may force everyone back to the office, I think many are going to be a lot more open to remote work where they never would've considered it in the pre-pandemic era.
zhengyi13 6y ago
From what I recall of talking to a couple Yahoo employees at the time, they felt that Yahoo had a significant issue with tracking/accountability that was a large driver in the decision to roll those policies back and demand butts in seats.
- varispeed 6y ago
  Tracking as in literally tracking where people are and what they do? Shouldn't they only be interested in outcomes? I'd hate to work with someone constantly looking over my shoulder.
- Salgat 5y ago
  Which is a shame, because this is more a sign of manager/lead incompetence on how to measure productivity than anything else. When your most important metric is measuring how long an ass keeps a seat warm, you should think real hard about why that's a serious issue.
varispeed 6y ago
Not all employees live in big houses where they can have a separate own room only for work. Different level of distraction will have an effect on productivity - there is a massive difference between working home alone and from a busy cafe.
slavapestov 6y ago
If it doesn't work for most people, then most people can work from an office. It doesn't justify a blanket ban.
Salgat 5y ago
>because it's obvious that is doesn't work for most of the people According to who?

e40 6y ago

Doesn't work for "most of the people" is highly dependent on the company and position. It works very well for 80% of the positions at my company. I'm sure there are companies for which it only works for a small percentage. The ultimate YMMV.

emodendroket 6y ago

I find most of my work goes well but anything that requires coordination a lot of time gets wasted waiting to hear from people.

mullingitover 6y ago

These don't seem like the greatest examples - eliminating WFH didn't turn Yahoo around (it might've done them in, who knows) and IBM is...well IBM. What the last year has done was to force knee-jerk 'butts in seats' mentality managers to experiment with remote work. It sure seems like the bottom line results haven't proven remote work to be a failure, and while some old timers may force everyone back to the office, I think many are going to be a lot more open to remote work where they never would've considered it in the pre-pandemic era.

zhengyi13 6y ago

From what I recall of talking to a couple Yahoo employees at the time, they felt that Yahoo had a significant issue with tracking/accountability that was a large driver in the decision to roll those policies back and demand butts in seats.

varispeed 6y ago
Tracking as in literally tracking where people are and what they do? Shouldn't they only be interested in outcomes? I'd hate to work with someone constantly looking over my shoulder.
Salgat 5y ago
Which is a shame, because this is more a sign of manager/lead incompetence on how to measure productivity than anything else. When your most important metric is measuring how long an ass keeps a seat warm, you should think real hard about why that's a serious issue.

varispeed 6y ago

Not all employees live in big houses where they can have a separate own room only for work. Different level of distraction will have an effect on productivity - there is a massive difference between working home alone and from a busy cafe.

slavapestov 6y ago

If it doesn't work for most people, then most people can work from an office. It doesn't justify a blanket ban.

Salgat 5y ago

>because it's obvious that is doesn't work for most of the people According to who?