I can’t deny that I’ve been a bit voyeurish watching Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer balance her executive role and new motherhood. I’ve tried to refrain from writing about my thoughts and opinions on any of it because they’d just add to the cacophony of rants about balance, working moms, women in the workplace, etc. But my self control lost the battle today.
Her situation is interesting to me because 1) she’s not that much older than me and 2) she had a kid just after me. In fact, I posted this lovely photo on Facebook close to her due date with the caption: “I’m not sleeping, I’m dreaming up ways to run a Fortune 500 company.”
I certainly was envious of her ability to take a two week maternity leave. More than envious, I was bewildered at how she did it? I could have used some tips. I saw her as really living into Sheryl Sandberg’s advice of ‘leaning in’, and was quite inspired that she was taking on the challenge of both roles. It did make me feel like a bit of a lazy couch potato – that my crowning achievements of those days was brushing my teeth – but I was also too tired to really over think it or aspire to do more at the time.
Eight months have passed and with each Mayer news article I find myself pulled back into my voyeur role. Tell me more, Marissa…why? how? So the latest news of Yahoo! cancelling their telecommuting has sent my brain into overdrive:
1. I don’t want to make it a working mommy issue. I don’t. Men are also telecommuting and it may have nothing to do with children. I do think it’s convenient that she gets a nursery in her office. I actually joked about that with my boss during pregnancy and now feel like I should have pursued it more. Of course, the nursery would need to come with a nanny. My question is then, is Yahoo! offering daycare to its newly returned-to-their-seats employees?
2. Working mommy aside, I look at the issue from a management standpoint. It certainly is “easier” to manage your employees, retaining the illusion of a locus of control, when their butts are in their Yahoo! seats. Mayer might be an overachiever and always working, but I’d venture a guess that butts-in-seats might equal an increase in Facebook viewing and Words with Friends playing.
3. Additionally, butts-in-seats has a bit of a class warfare thing going on. I’ve seen it in play that butts-in-seats overwhelmingly affects the morale of the employees who don’t get all the fun travel perks that Executives do – going to conferences, meeting clients, etc. Just as telecommuting can get out of control, the same is true for Managers who take the butts-in-seats manifesto too far – when people are afraid to go to the bathroom.
4. I’d love if Yahoo! said, “You know what folks, we need to save money. So we aren’t going to try to fix this telecommuting system, we’re going to destroy it and see what shakes out. Hopefully, a lot of unproductive employees and some extra cash.” That would be great leadership, leading me to think that there’s a bigger plan ahead. She is going to build that daycare!!
Instead, I’m left thinking Yahoo! can’t possibly know who is going to quit because of this policy – it might actually be their most productive employees – leaving Yahoo! with employees who work at companies simply for the free food and the free IPhones.
I have no sweeping judgements to make. Motherhood is teaching me that they aren’t useful anyways. I will say that I’m learning a heck a lot about letting go of control and not making rash decisions (although, you could argue that writing this post I still have more learning in that department). I’m just a voyeur like all the other pundits writing on the topic. Good for her for being intriguing. I’m probably just jealous that she gets to brush her teeth and stuff.