Abstract

The case is about the decision of Yahoo’s new CEO, Marissa Mayer (Mayer), to abolish the ‘Work from Home’ option at the company. By the time Mayer joined the company in 2012, Yahoo had lost its previous glory and was way behind its industry peers. In order to revitalize the company, Mayer announced several plans. When she found that the work from home policy that the company was following was being misused by some employees, she decided to discontinue it. Her decision resulted in a huge debate over the viability of flexible working hours and the work from home policy.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Flexible working — pros and cons
• The impact of Mayer’s decision on the employees of Yahoo
• Whether this will lead to a change in the policies of other companies

Keywords

Yahoo, Marissa Mayer, revenue per employee, employee productivity, work from home, telecommuting, flexible working hours, collaboration, interaction, innovation