It has become easier and easier to work from home thanks to WiFi and sophisticated devices, yet some companies resist the trend. Marissa Mayer famously shut down work from home policies last year at Yahoo, and each business is likely to have its own issues to work through with this concept. What's important is that the CEO picks a strategy that works for employees and sticks with it.
Business Insider recently reported on Paul DeJoe, a CEO who has the exact opposite opinion of Mayer when it comes to working from home. For his sales company, Ecquire, DeJoe encourages his staff to work from home, using phone and computer-based communication apps to keep in touch.
Part of the reason this works is because Ecquire's staff consists of just five people scattered across the country. But DeJoe told the source that every once in a while, the entire team will come together for a special retreat.
The Guardian recently quoted policy officer Jonathan Swan, who discussed the importance of using caution when coordinating remote conferences, so CEOs don't adopt it out of obligation. Managing workers who never come into the office is different from dealing with those who do, and other styles will be more appropriate to get the most out of these individuals.
"It's about working with the grain of people's lives," he said. "Choice is very important. There shouldn't be a technology-driven compulsion to work in a certain way. The office should remain for those that want the office – but that's not necessarily the old headquarters or mothership any more."
Whether your company wants to have more people working from home or fewer, an executive search firm can help you find the CEO who is best suited to your attitude.
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