( CNN ) -- Marissa Mayer 's announcement that Yahoo employees who work remotely must come in the office or quit has raised howls of criticism . Her supporters defend her decision by pointing out that many Yahoo workers who work at home never came in and hid from management , and that her decree is a wake-up call to get focused on teamwork and innovation so that the company can get up to speed . Mayer 's reasoning makes some sense . But mandating face time will not automatically lead to creativity and collaboration . The key is establishing a culture of innovation and aligning talent and performance . Telework should not have to axed in the process . A work-at-home mom defends Yahoo 's Mayer . Yahoo happens to be a case of an out-of-control , work-at-home company . It 's telework gone horribly wrong . Telework , in itself , does not hurt productivity . But telework , when implemented poorly , can be a problem . Telework is just one out of many management tools designed to make a company more attractive for hardworking employees . Working from home does n't necessarily hurt productivity . If management takes the time to implement it effectively and link it to accountability , then telework benefits both the company and employees . It can build trust and promote healthy work-life balance among employees . However , management must have the courage to get rid of deadwood and fire telework abusers . Employees commit to an organization because they buy into company goals and feel valued , not because they are ordered to sit at their desks . Yahoo may have long-term trust and morale issues if it continues this policy . Abolishing telework is like canceling the prom because some immature people spiked the punch bowl . It is not going to get Yahoo out of its doldrums . It may result in exodus , as talents leave for employers who do not see work-life flexibility at war with job performance . Opinion : CEO is right : Yahoo workers must show up . Mayer 's calling all remote workers into the office raises some unspoken prevailing cultural assumptions . Workers who have control over where , when and how they work are often perceived as less productive . Giving workers flexibility to integrate personal life with work is viewed as antithetical to boosting performance . Yet studies have shown that all workers value control over personal and work time . This is not just a mom 's child care issue or a dad 's elderly care issue . It is a people issue . From millennials to Gen Xers to boomers , men to women , returning veterans to disabled employees -- having flextime and telework can make a huge difference in people 's lives as they juggle work and life . Adapting to new ways of working is a competitive advantage in today 's working environment . Organizations should realize that not everyone works best in the same way . Some people can handle text messages from work , family , news and Facebook 24/7 . Others work better at 5 a.m. or late at night . And then there are people who desperately need time to focus and detach from work to get creative . Policy riles workers everywhere . Productivity does not equal face time . What remote workers should do is set clear performance goals and regular times for meetings and calls with core teams . Telework can build loyalty since employees can better manage their family life -- something that everyone can appreciate . And sometimes , they end up working more hours that they do n't clock in . So when should a company draw a line on working remotely or in the office ? When management is no longer sure who works for them or how to coordinate a team , and employees always place their own interests over the company . Yahoo needs to ask employees how to improve productivity and creativity without having to sacrifice telework . Given that it 's harder than ever nowadays to separate the boundary between work from life , does Yahoo really think that requiring that employees to work in the office is the right solution ? Let 's hope Mayer 's decision is temporary . The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Ellen Ernst Kossek .
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer told employees that they must work in the office or home . Ellen Ernst ##berg : Mandating face time will not automatically lead to creativity , productivity . She says Yahoo appears to be a case of telework gone horribly wrong . Kossek : If a company implements it in the right way , everyone wins .