Amazon's controversial 5-day-per-week in-office policy drew support from one of the company's top executives, who suggested that employees who are unhappy with the change might be better off looking for a different job.
In a recent all-hands meeting for AWS, unit CEO Matt Garman announced that a significant majority (nine out of 10 workers) of employees he's surveyed favour the company's new in-office policy, which goes into effect in January, according to a transcript reviewed by Reuters.
Amazon's Controversial Return-to-Office Mandate
Garman further suggested that employees who disagree with the mandate may want to explore other employment opportunities. "If there are people who just don't work well in that environment and don't want to, that's okay; there are other companies around," said Garman.
"When we want to really, really innovate on interesting products, I have not seen an ability for us to do that when we're not in person," the top executive added.
Amazon's new 5-day-per-week in-office policy has sparked significant backlash from employees, who argue that it increases commuting time and that the benefits of working from the office are not supported by evidence.
In response to CEO Andy Jassy's mandate, some employees have reportedly threatened to engage in "soft quitting." Amazon, which had been enforcing a three-day-per-week in-office policy, recently announced that it would increase this requirement to five days a week.
Jassy stated that this change is necessary for 'inventing, collaborating, and being connected.' Some employees who had not previously complied with the in-office policy were informed that they were "voluntarily resigning" and were subsequently denied access to company systems.
UK Amazon workers actively resist the company's newly implemented in-office policy, as evidenced by the dramatic rise in online searches for "legal right to work from home" in the past week.
Amazon's Policy Compared To Tech Peers
Amazon, the world's second-largest private employer, has taken a more rigid approach to in-office work than many of its tech peers, such as Google, Meta, and Microsoft, which have implemented two- to three-day in-office policies.
"I'm actually quite excited about this change," said Garman. "I know not everyone is," he said, noting it's too hard to accomplish the company's goals with only the mandatory current three days of in-office work.
Under the three-day policy, Garman said, "we didn't really accomplish anything, like we didn't get to work together and learn from each other." He highlighted that Amazon's leadership principles, which define the company's operating philosophy, were difficult to adhere to under the previous in-office arrangement.
"You can't internalise them by reading them on the website; you really have to experience them day-to-day," he said.
Garman argued that the 'disagree and commit' principle, which encourages employees to voice their concerns but fully support the team's direction, is not well-suited for remote work. "I don't know if you guys have tried to disagree via a Chime call," he said, referring to the company's internal messaging and calling function. "It's very hard."
The company faces a crucial decision as Amazon continues to grapple with employee resistance to its new in-office policy. Will it maintain its hardline stance and risk further employee discontent, or will it reconsider its approach and explore more flexible work arrangements?
The outcome of this decision could have significant implications for Amazon's future and the broader debate about the future of work in the post-pandemic era.
