They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Regardless of how it gets to you, somebody paid for it. Paying is no longer a concern for Yahoo! employees in Silicon Valley as their new CEO, Marissa Mayer, has revealed that their cafe will be offering food to them free of charge. This kind of service was already a staple at Google and isn’t unheard of in the professional world these days. A free lunch isn’t the only thing Mayer’s brought with her, though.
Coming from Google, which is still currently one of the top technology companies, to Yahoo!, which feels well past its prime, must surely have been a shock to the system for Mayer. It’s only been a couple weeks and already she’s begun transforming what many consider to be a company from a previous technological era into something more recognizable. For now, it’s baby steps.
In addition to the free lunch, Friday afternoon all-hands meetings have been instituted. This kind of transparency is important in any large company and goes a long way in fostering a familial environment. AllThingsD also notes that Mayer is looking at redesigning the layout of Yahoo!’s buildings and work spaces in an effort to provide a greater sense of collaboration. Anything to improve the current work environment is a plus.
Focusing on employer-employee and peer relations is a fundamental issue that Mayer’s reign needs to tackle forcefully. Layoffs, poor performance, and a lack of noteworthy accomplishments have effectively relegated Yahoo! to the technological backseat in past years. The only way to truly change this theme is for the company as a whole to embrace a new vision and strive for it. For that, they need happy workers.
(via AllThingsD, image credit via JD Lasica)
- Mayer was involved in Google’s Instant Search reveal too
- Yahoo! recently had a bunch of user information stolen
- But they did sue Facebook not that long ago for patent infringement
