Massive new Yahoo perk from Marissa Mayer: no more BlackBerrys

Marissa Mayer is all about the bennies in her first few weeks as Yahoo’s chief executive. From free food to new cooler, collaborative workspaces to … no more BlackBerrys?

Speaking as someone who has used almost every mobile platform, that’s a massive perk.

BlackBerry has been the official phone for Yahoo for years, a move that may have held the company back as much as CEO musical chairs, lack of executive focus, relinquishing of technological leadership, and total loss of company mission.

OK, that’s a bit of a joke, but the reality is that if you don’t know what a superlative modern mobile experience is, how can you deliver it? And there’s nothing that succeeds better in creating resentment than forcing employees to use tools that suck.

So Mayer has apparently told staffers that Yahoo employees can officially switch to the iPhone at company expense. Or, for those who prefer, Android devices.

It may seem to be part of a Google-fication of Yahoo that includes weekly all-hands-on-deck meetings, a new Q&A tool for helping to determine key corporate issues, and more. But it’s about something far more important than making Yahoo like Google.

One of Yahoo’s biggest problems is morale. Self-esteem. A belief that the company is a great company, that it can do amazing things, and that Yahooligans rock. Without this belief, a job is just a job. And worse, with the opposite belief, it’s pure drudgery and mental anguish.

Most of Mayer’s early moves may appear cosmetic, but they’re focused on making Yahoo believe in itself again.

Smart move.

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