Amazon employees urge CEO Andy Jassy to revert return-to-office mandate

Amazon

Employees at Amazon are urging CEO Andy Jassy to reconsider a new return-to-work policy, according to a report by CNBC.

Beginning May 1, Jassy announced that Amazon would require corporate staffers to spend at least three days a week at the office. The CEO said that he and Amazon’s leadership team, called the S-team, decided that in-person work would make it easier for employees to collaborate and invent together, the report added.

Last updated in October 2021, the e-commerce giant's pandemic-era policy left it up to managers to determine how frequently their teams needed to be in the office. In the past few years, the company's white-collar workforce has used hybrid and fully remote work arrangements, according to a report.

According to screenshots viewed by CNBC, the employees created a Slack channel on Friday to advocate for remote work and voice concerns about the new return-to-work policy. Since Tuesday morning, more than 14,000 employees have joined the Slack channel.

The staffers have also signed a petition, addressed to Jassy and the S-team, that urges the leadership to drop the new policy, saying it “runs contrary” to Amazon’s positions on diversity and inclusion, affordable housing, sustainability, and focus on being the “Earth’s Best Employer”.

“We, the undersigned, call for Amazon to protect its role and status as a global retail and tech leader by immediately cancelling the RTO policy and issuing a new policy that allows employees to work remotely or more flexibly, if they choose to do so, as their team and job role permits,” according to a draft of the petition, which was previously reported by Business Insider.

Regarding return-to-office guidance, an Amazon spokesperson referred back to Jassy’s blog post.

According to the employees, Jassy previously stated that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach for how teams work best, praising remote work's benefits.

“Many employees trusted these statements and planned for a life where their employer wouldn't force them to return to the office,” a draft of the petition states. “The RTO mandate shattered their trust in Amazon’s leaders.”

Employees, who moved during the pandemic or were hired for a remote position, are concerned about how the policy will affect them.

A more distributed workforce has allowed Amazon to hire more employees outside of its key tech hubs, such as Seattle, New York and Northern California, in the past three years.

Besides Jassy’s comment that there will be “a small minority” of exceptions to the new policy, Amazon hasn’t discussed whether remote employees will be asked to relocate.

Several employees prefer working fully remotely, with the option of a monthly sync-up in the office or prefer working in the office at most one to two days a week, according to data cited in the petition. Research shows that remote work increases productivity reduces expenses, and allows companies like Amazon to attract and retain top talent.

It also warns that a return to mostly in-person work could negatively affect employees’ work-life balance, especially for parents, minorities, caregivers, and people with disabilities.

Amazon’s decision to force in-person work in all cases was also questioned by employees. Globally based employees, for example, may come to the office only to continue having virtual meetings and they may not have a coworker with them.