When I started this blog, I had no intention of writing anything of a technical nature. However, today I will kind of write about technical workplaces and work culture a bit. I think by now everyone has formed his/her own opinion about Marissa Mayer's policy of banning working from home. As a woman, my first thought was the same as almost everyone else as I exclaimed "what?!" but then I have thought about both sides of the debate.
It is very easy to brand someone as "trying to show off how tough she is" or say "she might be fine with a two-week maternity leave but she can expect others to do that" with a shrug. Yes, it does look like she is pushing the company backwards in time, but wait...don't jump into conclusions.
I know there are many people who telecommute, working out of their home offices. Some people say that is great, for some professions it might be really good or for some people it might be the only solution for some time. I have a friend who is a technical writer, for her job it was totally ok to work from home office, but she didn't like it that much. I mean yes, you don't need to sit in traffic and can work from 8 - 4 very easily, you can walk the dog and finish your grocery shopping on a Tuesday afternoon, but still, telecommuting is not for everyone, neither is it for every job.
There is still no alternative of being physically present in an office and working with a bunch of people whom you can see and talk to (not virtually). I worked with remote teams for almost a year and that was really bad for our productivity. First of all, there was a time zone difference ranging from three to ten hours and then there were cultural issues, language issues and what not! When we finally created a local team you should have seen the relief on our faces. It's not just work relationship, but team events, lunches together, jokes, funny things, all contribute towards a team. Moreover, the better you know a person, the more effective you will be when communicating with him/her. That can't be achieved over the internet!
Telecommuting, however, is totally different from working from home (WFH). WFH is not really a practice, but a temporary solution. It is not just for family and spouses and kids, I think single people might need it more than people with families. When the cable guy gives you a vague window of "I'll come some time between 10 and 2" or there is a sudden snow and roads or blocked, there are no better alternatives than WFH. There are those days too when you are not really down with high fever but not well either to drive to work and sit there for 8-10 hours. You can finish some pending things from home too. I love the option of WFH. That should not be banned. However, that doesn't mean WFH is a synonym for taking a day off. You should still be available on IM, respond to emails and WORK. Checking work emails doesn't count for "working" from home.
Some people say that you have kids doesn't mean you get to leave work early. It sounds rude, but well, in a way it is right. When we were working with the remote teams, we had to attend meetings at 6 in the morning. People with school going kids had a real hard time but they still had to make it just like everyone else. Darting off from a meeting at four o'clock by saying "I have to pick up my kid from daycare" is not good for productivity either. Women have a tougher job. Even today, not everyone can delegate household chores to their husbands and taking care of the baby is still, primarily the mom's duty. There are so many women who don't have the luxury to work from home, I mean most professions don't, but they are still managing. So I am not saying that WFH is the only solution, but I do think that wherever possible, we should definitely keep that option open and not put a ban to it.
It is very easy to brand someone as "trying to show off how tough she is" or say "she might be fine with a two-week maternity leave but she can expect others to do that" with a shrug. Yes, it does look like she is pushing the company backwards in time, but wait...don't jump into conclusions.
I know there are many people who telecommute, working out of their home offices. Some people say that is great, for some professions it might be really good or for some people it might be the only solution for some time. I have a friend who is a technical writer, for her job it was totally ok to work from home office, but she didn't like it that much. I mean yes, you don't need to sit in traffic and can work from 8 - 4 very easily, you can walk the dog and finish your grocery shopping on a Tuesday afternoon, but still, telecommuting is not for everyone, neither is it for every job.
There is still no alternative of being physically present in an office and working with a bunch of people whom you can see and talk to (not virtually). I worked with remote teams for almost a year and that was really bad for our productivity. First of all, there was a time zone difference ranging from three to ten hours and then there were cultural issues, language issues and what not! When we finally created a local team you should have seen the relief on our faces. It's not just work relationship, but team events, lunches together, jokes, funny things, all contribute towards a team. Moreover, the better you know a person, the more effective you will be when communicating with him/her. That can't be achieved over the internet!
Telecommuting, however, is totally different from working from home (WFH). WFH is not really a practice, but a temporary solution. It is not just for family and spouses and kids, I think single people might need it more than people with families. When the cable guy gives you a vague window of "I'll come some time between 10 and 2" or there is a sudden snow and roads or blocked, there are no better alternatives than WFH. There are those days too when you are not really down with high fever but not well either to drive to work and sit there for 8-10 hours. You can finish some pending things from home too. I love the option of WFH. That should not be banned. However, that doesn't mean WFH is a synonym for taking a day off. You should still be available on IM, respond to emails and WORK. Checking work emails doesn't count for "working" from home.
Some people say that you have kids doesn't mean you get to leave work early. It sounds rude, but well, in a way it is right. When we were working with the remote teams, we had to attend meetings at 6 in the morning. People with school going kids had a real hard time but they still had to make it just like everyone else. Darting off from a meeting at four o'clock by saying "I have to pick up my kid from daycare" is not good for productivity either. Women have a tougher job. Even today, not everyone can delegate household chores to their husbands and taking care of the baby is still, primarily the mom's duty. There are so many women who don't have the luxury to work from home, I mean most professions don't, but they are still managing. So I am not saying that WFH is the only solution, but I do think that wherever possible, we should definitely keep that option open and not put a ban to it.
1 comment:
duto jinishe problem - trying to run the clock backwards aar being a 'non woman' - konotai thik noy.
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