Length: 4-page double-spaced limit in 12-point Times Roman font, one-inch margins.
Article
Published by Kara Swisher, February 22, 2013
YAHOO! PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION DO NOT FORWARD
Yahoos,
Over the past few months, we have introduced a number of great benefits and tools to make us
more productive, efficient and fun. With the introduction of initiatives like FYI, Goals and
PB&J, we want everyone to participate in our culture and contribute to the positive momentum.
From Sunnyvale to Santa Monica, Bangalore to Beijing I think we can all feel the energy and
buzz in our offices.
To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important,
so we need to be working side-by-side. That is why it is critical that we are all present in our
offices. Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions,
meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings. Speed and quality are often sacrificed when
we work from home. We need to be one Yahoo!, and that starts with physically being together.
Beginning in June, were asking all employees with work-from-home arrangements to work in
Yahoo! offices. If this impacts you, your management has already been in touch with next steps.
And, for the rest of us who occasionally have to stay home for the cable guy, please use your
best judgment in the spirit of collaboration. Being a Yahoo isnt just about your day-to-day job, it
is about the interactions and experiences that are only possible in our offices.
Thanks to all of you, weve already made remarkable progress as a company and the best is
yet to come.
Jackie
You can find the complete article here: (Journalist Kara Swisher published the internal memo
from Yahoos HR director Jacky Reses online).
Swisher, K. All Things D. February 22, 2013
(http://allthingsd.com/20130222/physically-together-heres-the-internal-yahoo-no-work-fromhome-memo-which-extends-beyond-remote-workers/).
Assignment
In June 2013, Yahoo! announced to withdraw its telework policy. From June onwards, all
employees were expected to work onsite. Jacky Reses, HR director at Yahoo!, received a lot of
push back from employees. Reses is surprised because she believes that working from home is
clearly problematic. She hires you as her consultant and gives you the following instructions: I
need to support my own position better, but Id like to understand the position of the
employees as well. Eventually, I want a recommendation about whether or not I should stick
with my policy [to bring all employees into the office] or whether I should adjust this policy.
To complete this assignment, you will look at the problem from the perspectives of two actors,
each using a different frame. For the first actor, the employer including Jacky Reses, you use the
structural frame. For the second actor, the employees, you use a human resources frame.
Your assignment should consist of three parts:
A. Employer perspective on old situation Structural Frame
1. Problem. Describe what the problem is in the old situation, using a structural lens. In
other words, what is problematic for the employer when employees work from
home if you take a structural perspective?
2. Cause. What is / are the cause(s) of this problem? Use an OB model/theory to
explain what causes the problem for the employer.
3. Recommendation. How, using the structural lens, can this problem be solved? Make
sure that in your answer, you reflect on whether withdrawing the telework policy is
a good or a bad solution if you use a structural lens.
B. Employee perspective on new situation Human Resources Frame
4. Problem. Describe the problem with the new situation using a human resource lens.
More specifically, what is problematic for employees when they are not allowed to
work from home?
5. Cause. What is / are the cause(s) of this problem? Use an OB model/theory to
explain what causes the problem for the employee.
6. Recommendation. How, using the human resources lens, can this problem be
solved? Address whether re-establishing the former telework policy is a good or a
bad solution from a human resources lens.
C. Integration
7. Problem comparison. You have now insight in the problem according to two parties,
each using a different framework. What is most important to each party? Do the
parties have the conflicting or compatible interests?
8. Solution. Is there a way to integrate the two frameworks and come to a solution
that is satisfactory for both parties? Explain the extent to which your solution meets
the interests of each party, and how the solution fits within the structural and
human resource frame.
Important tips:
1. Make sure that you discuss the core assumption(s) of the structural frame (in question
1) and the HR frame (in question 4).
2. Make sure that you use OB models and concepts when you explain what causes the
problem (2 & 5). For instance, if you conclude that employees are demotivated because
they are not allowed to work from home, what OB model can help you explain this?
3. Make sure that your recommendations (3 & 6) follow clearly from the previous two
steps. In the first step you specify what the problem is, in step two you explain the
cause(s). Step 3 (recommendations) should be simple because you need a solution that
either intervenes in the causes or directly tackles the problem.
4. To clarify what Im looking for in the problem comparison (7), an example of two sisters
fighting over an orange might help. Both sisters want the orange and are therefore in a
conflict. Their interest might be the same, if they both want the juice of the orange to
lessen their thirst. But if one sister wants the peel to bake a cake and the other wants
the juice to drink, their interest are different and there is in fact no need for a conflict:
the problem can be solved easily by peeling the orange. In the Yahoo case, are the
interests of the two parties conflicting or compatible with each other?
5. The solution (8) follows from part 7. If you know what is important and problematic for
each party, you can search for a solution that meets the interests of both parties (or
meets them halfway). Make sure to look back at your OB concepts/models used before,
and check if these solutions make sense from an HR and/or structural lens.
Additional tips:
Several OB topics can help you analyze the problem from the two frames. You can use for
instance the literature and lectures on:
– Organizational Structure (Bolman & Deal Chapters 3 and 4)
– Motivation (B&D Chapter 6)
– Job design (Lecture 3 on motivation)
Optional background readings:
– De Menezes, L.M., & Kelliher, C. (2011). Flexible working and performance: A systemic
review of the evidence for a business case. International Journal of Management
Reviews, 13, 452-474.
– Groen, B.A.C., Van Triest, S.P., Coers, M., & Ten Weerde, N.W. (2018). Managing flexible
work arrangements: Teleworking and output controls. European Management Journal,
36, 727-735.
– Anderson, A.J., Kaplan, S.A., & Vega, R.P. (2015). The impact of telework on emotional
experiences: When, and for whom, does telework improve daily affective well-being?
European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 24, 882-897.
