Amazon now tracking employee phone use: Here’s what it means for staff

Amazon

Amazon is cracking down on how its employees use their company phones. The company has introduced a new rule where staff must show how much of their phone use is actually for work. If they use it partly for personal reasons, their monthly $50 phone allowance will be cut down to match the percentage of work use.

This change is mainly being seen at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and is part of a bigger push by CEO Andy Jassy to bring back what he calls a “hardcore” work culture. Jassy, who took over from Jeff Bezos in 2021, has been reshaping the company with stricter rules, new pay systems, and higher performance standards.

Over the past year, Amazon has made as many as 375 changes. It has reduced layers of management, meaning there are now more workers reporting to each manager. The company has also brought most corporate staff back to the office five days a week, something that hasn’t gone down well with everyone.

The way employees are paid has also been tweaked. Now, those who perform consistently well for four years in a row can earn raises that go beyond the usual salary limits. On the flip side, this system has made it harder for Amazon to hire top talent, since many skilled workers don’t like the strict rules around pay and office attendance.

To make things smoother, Jassy introduced a “bureaucracy mailbox” where employees can complain about unnecessary rules or red tape. Some of the recent changes at Amazon have actually come from this feedback.

But the message from the top is clear—Amazon wants results. In fact, one senior executive recently sent an email to managers saying they must commit to higher standards immediately, or leave the company.

The new phone rule is just another sign of how Amazon is raising the pressure on its employees, hoping to bring back the discipline and focus that helped it grow into one of the world’s biggest companies.