Based on the way the article is phrased, it sounds like removing these makes things feel simpler and less bureaucratic.
In more details: not having a parking barrier means you can just drive in the lot without stopping your car, opening your window, scanning your badge, putting your badge away, starting your car again just to stop just after in a spot. I don't know where Yahoo! HQs are but I'm guessing they are little use to check who is parking on their lot. So what does that change for employees? It removes one useless step in your morning routine.
Turnstiles are similar. Turnstiles are a bit uncomfortable and unnatural. If you can remove them, it just simpler. I doubt they just let anyone in, but you can put a couple of security people, a badge scanner and you're good to go. I know Facebook has something where you just badge and walks through without having to push a hard metal bar with your leg, hoping it won't catch your gym bag.
I'm skipping the steps because you stopped too far from the scanner
The parking barriers were pretty silly in the first place because they were only on some of the lots. If you wanted to park by buildings A,B,C or D you would scan your badge on a card reader and they would open, but if you parked across the street by building E there was no such barrier. And it wasn't like they stopped people from walking across the street and right to the other buildings.
"turning off the turnstiles in building D". Building D traditionally has held the HR Department. I may be reading in too much but I think she's put a halt to the practice of firing a full-time employee and then hiring them back as a contractor or FTE again with a higher salary. As for the parking barriers, I'd just be guessing. It could be unlocking gates or it could be removing assigned spaces.
In more details: not having a parking barrier means you can just drive in the lot without stopping your car, opening your window, scanning your badge, putting your badge away, starting your car again just to stop just after in a spot. I don't know where Yahoo! HQs are but I'm guessing they are little use to check who is parking on their lot. So what does that change for employees? It removes one useless step in your morning routine.
Turnstiles are similar. Turnstiles are a bit uncomfortable and unnatural. If you can remove them, it just simpler. I doubt they just let anyone in, but you can put a couple of security people, a badge scanner and you're good to go. I know Facebook has something where you just badge and walks through without having to push a hard metal bar with your leg, hoping it won't catch your gym bag.
I'm skipping the steps because you stopped too far from the scanner