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Amazon’s recent return-to-office (RTO) mandate, set for January 2025, has triggered intense debate and worry among its workforce. Requiring five days a week in-office attendance, Amazon’s stance positions it at odds with other tech giants, risking high attrition as employees increasingly seek flexible work options.
This marks one of the most stringent RTO policies in the tech world. The policy shift, announced by CEO Andy Jassy and supported by AWS CEO Matt Garman, is framed as necessary for “innovation and collaboration” in a face-to-face environment.
“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,” Garman emphasized.
This directive clearly indicates a shift back to rigid work practices that characterized pre-pandemic operational ideals at Amazon. Until now, the organization has been operating a three-day office model, which Garman claims was counterproductive as employees habitually pick different days, hence limiting effective working together. The five-day policy aims to fix that gap but has already elicited negative backlash among most employees, with over 90% of employees expressing dissatisfaction in a recent survey by Blind, a job review site. More than 70% are reportedly considering leaving the company.
The move, which sets Amazon apart from other major tech companies like Google, Meta, and Apple, whom have leaned toward hybrid models allowing two to three in-office days, risks alienating its workforce. This is true, especially among employees hired under remote work expectations or who adapted their lives around flexible work schedules during the pandemic.
“The new policy is less flexible than pre-COVID and does not respect the needs of employees to take care of their health, their family, or work-life balance,” an anonymous employee told Fortune.
Employees have cited commuting, childcare, and relocation as additional financial burdens tied to the mandate. These grievances are compounded by Amazon’s strict policy on non-compliance. According to Garman, employees who struggle in an in-office setting may “find other companies around” that align with their preferences. This hardline stance has left many employees feeling undervalued, some even “rage applying” for new jobs to protest the loss of flexibility.
Some experts suggest Amazon’s strict RTO policy could reverberate beyond its own workforce, influencing other tech firms evaluating work models. Helen D. Reavis, a managing partner at Reavis Page Jump LLP, notes potential legal complications for companies like Amazon if they enforce office attendance too rigidly, which could be interpreted as an indirect form of workforce reduction.
As Amazon doubles down on traditional office culture, the risk remains that high turnover might undermine the very innovation and productivity it seeks to enhance. With more companies opting for hybrid setups, Amazon’s mandate could reshape competition in the job market, potentially favoring employers who retain flexible work policies.
