Amazon headquarters in Sunnyvale, California.
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An overwhelming majority of Amazon workers are “dissatisfied” with Amazon ending remote work and requiring them to be in the office five days a week next year, according to a survey of 2,585 employees conducted by Blind, an online community where verified employees can anonymously discuss their work culture.
Since May, Amazon has allowed employees to work remotely up to twice a week. Amazon has reportedly enforced this policy by tracking how many badges employees use and how many hours they spend in the office.
On September 16, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy sent a memo to employees announcing that Amazon would require most workers to come into the office five days a week starting in early 2025. “We’ve found that our teammates find it easier to learn, model, practice, and reinforce our culture; collaborating, brainstorming, and inventing are easier and more effective,” the memo said.
From September 17 to 19, Blind surveyed 2,585 “verified Amazon professionals” (Blind says it verifies workers via email addresses) in the US with yes-or-no questions about the policy and found widespread disapproval.
In a blog post this week, Blind highlighted some notable comments made on its platform about its return-to-office (RTO) policy. One Amazon employee wrote on Blind: “My morale for this job is gone, I’m totally checking out…”
There are similar discussions elsewhere on the web, with some saying the policy is unfair because they were hired as remote workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Others have called for — or skeptically hoped for — mass layoffs.
According to Blind, 73 percent of Amazon workers surveyed said they “considered looking for another job” because of the RTO policy.
Furthermore, 80 percent of employees said they know someone at Amazon who is considering leaving their job because of the policy. Interestingly, 32 percent of employees said they already know someone who has quit their job because of the impending five-day workweek.
Blind also noted that some users pointed out that people were dropping out of job interviews because Amazon doesn't allow remote work.
Some reported employees have taken to online communities like Reddit to react to the RTO policy, expressing fears that Amazon is looking to reduce its workforce. Notably, a March survey of 1,504 full-time U.S. employees, including 504 HR workers, by BambooHR found that some companies have implemented RTO policies to let people leave, with 25 percent of VP and C-suite executives and 18 percent of HR professionals surveyed affirming this.
“Sad”
Others online are expressing frustration over what they say feels like limited options from Amazon. For example, Reddit user OhNolBoffedIt wrote:
My team is already decentralized and spread out across the world, but hey, having me drive to an office where none of my colleagues are 5 days a week is not only a good use of my time, it’s also good for the environment. Woo Climate Pledge.
As some might have expected, Amazon’s HR announcement is forcing some employees to make big decisions, like whether to relocate or adjust their family dynamics and schedules. One employee who highlighted Blind’s blog post said they “feel dejected about this 5-day RTO,” adding:
Decisions like Jassy's are a big reason why I don't want kids. I don't need others imposing rules that ruin my quality of life.
Amazon has 1.5 million full- and part-time employees, according to regulatory filings as of late 2023. The policy change comes as Amazon also faces pressure from workers for higher wages. The conglomerate said it would make exceptions to its RTO policy for family emergencies, workers with sick children and coding jobs that require isolation.
“The benefits of working together in the office are significant,” Jassy wrote in the memo. “The last 15 months … have reinforced our belief in the benefits.”
Jassy's memo said part of the reason for the move to fully in-person work is to “operate like the world's largest startup.” However, recent studies suggest that RTO mandates hurt productivity and employee retention, and damage employee morale, while failing to drive business value. Big names like Apple, Microsoft and SpaceX have reportedly lost senior talent because of RTO policies.
