Amazon is mandating a return to the office full-time, ending its hybrid work policy.
This shift will take effect in January 2024, according to a memo from Amazon’s CEO, Andy Jassy.
Jassy stated, “We’ve decided that we’re going to return to being in the office the way we were before the onset of Covid,” emphasizing that this move will improve staff collaboration and innovation.
Previously, Amazon employees had the option to work from home two days a week. However, the company’s push to bring staff back to the office has sparked internal tensions.
Last year, employees at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters protested the tightening of remote work policies, leading to the dismissal of the protest’s organizer, which was met with claims of unfair retaliation.
Jassy, known for his skepticism towards remote work, expressed concerns that Amazon’s corporate culture was suffering due to flexible work arrangements and increasing bureaucracy.
To address this, he introduced a “bureaucracy mailbox” for staff complaints about unnecessary rules and is reorganizing management to oversee more employees, which might result in job cuts.
The new policy will involve hot-desking in the U.S., though staff can still work from home under special circumstances, such as emergencies.
Jassy stated, “Our expectation is that people will be in the office outside of extenuating circumstances.”
This policy contrasts with the UK government’s approach, which is set to promote flexible working as a default right in a new employment rights bill.
Jonathan Reynolds, a UK minister, highlighted the benefits of flexible working for recruitment and reducing presenteeism.
Remote work saw a peak during the pandemic, but many companies began recalling staff to the office in 2022.
As of this summer, about 12% of U.S. employees were fully remote, with another 27% on hybrid schedules, according to economists Jose Maria Barrero, Nicholas Bloom, and Steven J Davis.
While some companies, like JPMorgan and UPS, are demanding full-time office attendance, Stanford Professor Nicholas Bloom noted that remote work policies are still evolving.
He observed that, despite high-profile cancellations of remote work, many companies are still expanding flexible work arrangements, though these changes often go unreported.
Source-BBC
