Amazon CEO says it's time for return to office

Is it time to return to the office (RTO)? Amazon thinks so. The tech and retail giant is demanding workers ditch the convenience of hybrid working and restart their commute.

Earlier this month, Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy sent a letter to staff – that was later published on the company website – saying it’s time to go back to the pre-Covid era. And by that, he means no more hot desking and working from the office rather than home. Except for special cases, such as for childcare or to focus on coding.

Since last year, Amazon had been allowing staff to work from home two days a week but required them back in the office for three days – but Jassy that simple wasn’t enough to “invent, collaborate and be connected enough to each other”.

He added: “If anything, the last 15 months we’ve been back in the office at least three days a week has strengthened our conviction about the benefits” of a full return to the office.

Jassy isn’t alone. Dell has also demanded a full return to office work for sales teams, and told the rest of staff working remotely two days a week that they were no longer eligible for promotions or role changes. Financial companies such as JP Morgan and HSBC have required a full RTO, while most other companies are sticking with a hybrid option and asking staff to come in for two or three days a week.

Staff rebellion at Amazon

But what do staff think? Hybrid working is generally popular, with employees appreciating the flexibility.

Amazon staff were already annoyed by the requirement to be in three days a week, with an internal campaign pushing back against even that limited return to office. The stricter full RTO has sparked further complaints, with an employee-run survey suggesting the mandate had a 1.4 out of 5 approval rating.

The negative feedback from employees isn’t just about the ability to dodge the commute and work in comfy clothes. Employees said, according to a Fortune report, that RTO mandates made their work harder, especially when it came to collaborating with colleagues in different time zones, and having to commute reduced flexibility when it came to working extra hours.

Amazon appears to be running an experiment by disregarding the pushback against the three-day rule and expanding its RTO mandate. If it struggles to find staff, especially when it comes to software engineers and other hard to fill technical roles, expect Jassy’s demand to return to the office to quietly soften.

Perhaps some companies don’t care what staff think – or even want them to quit. That idea is referred to – because everything has a viral term these days – as quiet firing. You make conditions uncomfortable, and hope enough people quit to go elsewhere that you avoid expensive layoffs.

Of course, that’s just a theory, but it’s worth noting one quote from an Amazon employee: “The people that leave first are the strong engineers you want to work with… Others that can’t find new jobs or can’t leave due to visa are miserable and quiet quit. Anyone left that actually wants to work has to pick up the slack.”

And no-one wants to be that person.