When Stephanie Van Pelt needed to care for her son after surgery , her company gave her the option to work from home . `` They did n't lose my productivity , '' Van Pelt posted on Google+ . `` They gained an intensely loyal , hard-working employee that was so pleased with not having to take ( time ) off . '' Van Pelt was weighing in on the recent news that Yahoo is ending its work-from-home policy . The change , announced Monday by Yahoo human resources chief Jackie Reses , is expected to affect hundreds of employees . It is one of many changes CEO Marissa Mayer has made since being hired last July . But Van Pelt does n't work for Yahoo . She does n't work for Google , Twitter , or any high-profile tech company . Instead , Van Pelt represents how the changes at Yahoo have gotten the attention of workers everywhere , regardless of industry . `` This is just ridiculous , '' she continued . `` Glad I have no desire to work for Yahoo ! '' A 2011 study by Telework Research Network found that working remotely increased 73 % from 2005 to 2011 in the United States . Parenting is not at the heart of the issue , despite expectations Mayer would be more flexible after the recent birth of her first child . In the thousands of social media posts made about Mayer 's decision since Monday , people have attempted to classify the policy as a statement about everything from feminism to incompetent management . On Tuesday Yahoo issued a short statement , saying `` This is n't a broad industry view on working from home -- this is about what is right for Yahoo right now . '' But two themes seem to anchor the discussion , and they center on debate about what it takes to create a truly innovate workplace -- something Yahoo needs -- and the role morale plays in productivity . Opinion : CEO right -- Yahoo workers must show up . On innovation . Psychologist Eve Ash wrote for SmartCompany.com that , `` The combined efforts of a group can provide quantum leaps in innovations . '' Hired to essentially reinvent Yahoo , Mayer is clearly attempting to reignite the `` spirit of collaboration . '' In an opinion piece for CNN , Raymond Fisman said Mayer has it exactly right : Personal interaction is still the most effective way of conveying a company 's direction . The assertion that new ideas spring up through `` chance encounters '' is backed by academic research , he says . David Hirsch , who uses @ startupman on Twitter , agrees . As a managing partner of Metamorphic.vc and a father of two , he says for every restart or start-up , real-time collaboration and strategy needs to happen `` every 5 minutes . '' `` As a parent who occasionally works from home -- I feel bad for all those impacted , '' posted JD Fairweather . `` As a consultant who has seen the challenges of managing remote workers and the complications of rebuilding a company -- it 's the right move . '' `` Yahoo needs employees who want to live breathe and evangelize Yahoo , '' wrote tech blogger Shawn Farner . `` The company needs employees in Sunnyvale , walking the halls , eating lunch with colleagues , brainstorming on whiteboards , gathering around monitors -- basically , doing the things you 'd see a small start-up doing in companies that emphasize collaboration and comradery . '' A work-at-home mom defends Mayer . On productivity . Richard Branson , founder of Virgin Group , quickly posted his opposition to Mayer 's policy , saying a big part of successfully working with other people depends on , `` trusting people to get their work done wherever they are , without supervision . '' Donald Trump tweeted that Mayer is right to expect Yahoo employees to come to the workplace . `` She is doing a great job ! '' Lynn Dang , a former IBM employee posted to Facebook that the policy is silly and short-sighted for three reasons . First , unproductive staff will be unproductive anywhere . Second , Yahoo now risks losing top performers , and third the policy speaks of control and distrust unlikely to boost morale and engagement . `` I do think team building and interaction are useful but it does n't have to be an all or nothing approach like this , '' Dang posted . `` Especially in 2013 . Especially for a tech company . '' In an article on HLNTV.com , Sarah Evans , owner of Sevans Strategy , a public relations consultancy , wrote that each year , $ 1.4 trillion is lost in productivity regardless of where a worker 's desk is physically located . `` Finding a better way to work should be a company 's priority -- not telling people where they can do said work , '' Evans said . For Scott Jordan , the policy signaled a much greater issue , which is that Mayer and her team have not planned and deployed technology properly . `` There should be no time when an employee is more than a couple of taps away , '' he posted to Google+ . Opinion : Allow Yahoo workers to work at home .
Yahoo 's new policy will encourage innovation , some workers say . Requiring workers to go to the office may hurt morale , others argue . Working from home increased by 73 % between 2005 and 2011 , according to a study .