Following the likes of Dell and Tesla, Amazon is the latest company to tell staff to fall into line, and return to the office.
Unlike some other companies, it is ending hybrid working entirely, and ordering a full 5 day week in the office.
The announcement follows last year’s cutting of work from home days down to two at the company, which saw huge unrest, legal action, and walkouts.
No More Hybrid Work at Amazon
In a memo to staff today, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy told employees that hybrid work arrangements at the company were being ditched, and that from January, workers would be expected to come into the office five days a week.
Previously, Amazon employees had enjoyed the flexibility to work from home two days a week. However, in the memo, Jassy stated that it in-office working made it easier for ‘teammates to learn, model, practice and strengthen our culture.’
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Those that already have Remote Work Exception approved by their team leader will be allowed to continue the arrangement, and Jassy said that there would be some circumstances where staff would be allowed to work from home on occasion. Examples given include a sick child or a house emergency.
The last 15 months we’ve been back in the office at least three days a week has strengthened our conviction about the benefits – Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO
RTO a Bitter Pill for Amazon Staff
It’s too early to know how the news has gone down with Amazon staff, but it’s likely that there will be some pushback. Last February, Amazon told employees that they were expected to come into the office three days a weeks. The result was an outcry from staff, culminating in a walkout in June, in which 2,000 employees took part.
Staff even filed a lawsuit in an attempt to have the return to office mandate reversed. The company doubled down on the RTO mandate, telling staff that they risked promotions being blocked if they didn’t return.
Given the uproar when there were at least some work from home days on the table, the reaction now that these have been obliterated entirely is likely to be a nasty one.
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The Hybrid Battle
Coming out of the pandemic, there has been an ongoing battle between companies and their employees around returning to the office. Some have been fairly relaxed in their stance, allowing workers to continue to work from home, with some even ditching their office locations entirely.
Others, such as Dell, have continued to pile pressure on their employees, demanding that they return and threatening them if they don’t. This is despite the ever mounting evidence of the positives of remote and hybrid working, such as remote workers being happier, living longer, and working longer hours.
There isn’t even compelling data to suggest that returning to the office for Amazon workers will be effective. We know this because it came out of the mouth of Amazon executive, Mike Hopkins, last year, when staff pressed him on why they were being asked to return.
Amazon is set to anger a lot of its workforce with this move. Only time will tell if it was worth it for the company.
