Yahoo offices to close down for a week

By siliconindia   |   Tuesday, 22 December 2009, 22:13 IST   |    5 Comments
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New York: In an attempt to find new ways to cut costs during the slowdown, Yahoo has announced that it will shut down all its offices, except for "essential functions" like customer support, from December 25 through January 1. This is the company's first compulsory global closure, though in the past it has encouraged its employees in the U.S. to take a week off, says Yahoo spokeswoman, Dana Lengkeek. According to Dana, shutting down during the traditionally slow week will allow the employees to recharge and the company to reduce operating costs for the week, reports The Wall Street Journal. "U.S. employees can use vacation time or take unpaid leave for the days not covered in the holiday schedule. Outside the U.S., time off will be paid depending on the local standards and laws," she added. From the beginning of 2009, Yahoo has been implementing several cost cutting measures to survive the downturn. The company laid off nearly 700 employees in the spring and closed down duplicative products. During the end of third quarter of 2009, Yahoo had a total employee strength of 13,200. It is a routine for Silicon Valley based tech firms to shut down during the holiday season. According to Donna Morris, Senior Vice President for Human Resources at Adobe Systems, like previous years the company will close down from Dec. 24 to Jan. 1. Adobe further said employees will be asked to use paid vacation days for three days during the break. Even Apple plans to shut down from Dec. 24 to Jan. 1, with employees affected receiving paid days off. However, a spokesman of Apple said that their retail stores and customer-support services will remain "fully staffed."

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