As Amazon is nearing enforcing the five-day in-office mandate, there has been some friction among the employees. In the last all-hands meeting, held on November 5, Amazon CEO,
Andy Jassy addressed the acquisitions from certain employees and assured that the mandate is not meant for backdoor layoffs, or to satisfy city leaders.
The new work mandate has been under scrutiny since it was announced a few weeks ago. The new mandate requires all Amazon corporate employees to work in the office at least five days a week, as opposed to the three days in-office mandates they were following prior.
Amazon Work Mandate: Employees’ Concerns
Amazon’s five-day-in-office mandate has been a point of discussion over the past few months. Some employees are stating their grievances about the mandate expressing that this could affect productivity negatively as they would be forced to spend a considerable amount of time in transit from their homes to work. They also point out how the competing tech giants in the industry have a more flexible work environment than what Amazon is trying to enforce in the next year.
In an October all-hands meeting, a higher-ranking Amazon executive said that those who cannot follow the office mandate can find work in other companies. This statement has since stirred controversy in the media and among the employees, some accused that the new mandate has a backdoor layoff motive. Some also said that Amazon has a hidden agenda for appeasing the city leaders. The in-office work mandate would force employees to find a convenient housing situation in the city, find a transit possibility, and increase the overall economy of the city. So, both points are valid.
Amazon’s Answer To The Acquisitions Of Backdoor Layoffs
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy defended the new work mandate in the last all-hands meeting by saying that he is aware of the allegations: “A number of people I’ve seen theorize that the reason we were doing this is a backdoor layoff or we made some sort of deal with the city or cities” however, he denied both the acquisitions and assured to the employees that: “I can tell you both of those are not true.”
Jassy went on to remind Amazon employees that the mandate was introduced to foster a collaborative work environment and to strengthen their work culture. He also assured that the move is not a cost play, dismissing the allegations of backdoor layoffs.
According to an Amazon Spokesperson, the company has made the transition from work from home to work-in-offices as easy as possible by offering a variety of perks such as free shuttles for commutation, subsidized parking, reimbursed public transit, subsidized ridesharing, and bike-related costs.
The workers have been given time till January 2 to adhere to the new work mandate. Amazon executives warn employees that those who consistently fail to comply with the new work mandate will be voluntarily resigning and will be locked out of the company computers.
What Is Amazon 5 Day-In-Office Work Mandate
Amazon had announced that their corporate employees must follow a 5-day-a-week in-office work mandate. So, all the employees are directed to show up at the office at least 5 days a week. Amazon says that this move will be integral for promoting a collaborative work culture. Amazon also calculates that this move can help them get ahead of the competition from other major players in the market including Microsoft and Google.
The employees are given till January to comply with the new work mandate. So, employees do have a fair window of time to find an ideal apartment, transit, and other necessities near their office. However, at least a portion of the employees have grievances against this new work policy.
