Amazon CEO Stands Firm On Return-To-Office Policy Amidst Rising Employee Dissent: 'It's Past The Time To Disagree'

CEO of Amazon.com Inc. AMZN, Andy Jassy, remains unyielding about the company’s return-to-office mandate, saying it’s “past time” for employees to adhere to the rule, according to a Business Insider report on Sunday.

What Happened: Jassy reaffirmed the company’s return-to-office rule in an internal “fishbowl” meeting after months of internal disputes over the stringent mandate. He emphasized that employees who disagreed with this policy might need to consider parting ways with the company.

“It’s past the time to disagree and commit,” he said, according to the report. “And if you can’t disagree and commit, I also understand that, but it’s probably not going to work out for you at Amazon because we are going back to the office at least three days a week, and it’s not right for all of our teammates to be in three days a week and for people to refuse to do so.”

Amazon has progressively escalated the repercussions for employees not abiding by the rule of attending their designated Amazon office at least three days a week. According to the company policy, any non-compliant employee, barring rare exceptions, will face a “voluntary resignation.”

Despite an internal petition against the return-to-office policy, signed by roughly 30,000 employees last month, the company dismissed it. Jassy argued that “it’s not right for all of our teammates to be in three days a week and for people to refuse to do so.”

Jassy also disclosed that he had discussions with 60 to 80 other company CEOs about remote work, and most of them preferred to bring employees back to the office.

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Why It Matters: Amazon has long been committed to a traditional office working model, even expanding its office space in six US cities in 2020.

Despite the shifting dynamics in the job market and rising support for remote work, Amazon has remained firm on its return-to-office mandate and has faced employee protests over this policy, as reported in June 2023.

By July 2023, Amazon had implemented a “return-to-hub” policy, requiring employees to relocate near their teams’ designated “hub” offices, with non-compliance leading to “voluntary resignation.”

Amazon’s hardline stance continued into August 2023, with the company reminding US employees of their noncompliance with the return-to-office policy and rejecting an internal petition signed by about 30,000 employees opposing the policy.

The company’s aggressive policy has even sparked satirical responses from employees, reflecting the significant internal discord over this issue.

Photo via Shutterstock.

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