An article in the April 2013 edition of Quality Progress titled “Back to Work” reports that Yahoo! now requires employees who previously telecommuted to report to a Yahoo! office, or even relocate so they will be able to do so.

“To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side by side,” contends Yahoo!’s human resources chief Jackie Reses. “That is why it is critical that we are all present in our offices.”

This might have been true as recently as 15 or 20 years ago, but the Internet now permits far more efficient communication and collaboration than is achievable by in-person contact. Asynchronous communication is easily achievable with people in different time zones, and even on the other side of the world. There is no need to coordinate people’s schedules, let alone arrange for their simultaneous presence.

 …