More than 500 Amazon Web Services (AWS) employees have petitioned the company to reconsider its new five-day office mandate, which is scheduled to begin in January. In a letter to AWS CEO Matt Garman, 523 employees protested the “return to the office” policy and urged management to maintain remote work flexibility.
“AWS is not realizing its full potential with this mandate, and it is taking a discouraging path forward,” the letter shared. seattle times It was said. “Although flexible and remote work has its challenges, AWS has always been a company that tackles problems in innovative, visionary ways rather than falling back on old solutions that have worked in the past. The cloud computing industry could not exist today If we had adopted such a restrictive mindset in our early days.”
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy previously announced in a memo that the policy would begin on January 2, 2025. Before this change, Amazon required employees to be in the office three days a week, a shift that also drew opposition. Nearly 15 months after that initial order, Amazon is now expanding the requirement to restore pre-pandemic work norms.
The recent letter from AWS employees is a response to Garman’s comments at an AWS Town Hall, where he suggested that employees who don’t want to follow the new five-day rule could seek other job options. Last week, Garman reiterated this stance in an interview, expressing confidence in the policy and saying most employees he spoke to were supportive of the change. Garman and Jesse acknowledged that while there may be flexibility under the new policy, such as managers sometimes working from home for specific tasks, the core requirement remains in place.
AWS employees argued in the letter that Garman’s comments did not match their own experiences, claiming, “You are silencing critical viewpoints and harming our culture and future.” He also argued that Amazon’s decision lacked data-backed analysis, contradicting one of Amazon’s core principles, and noted that the policy hinders Amazon’s goal of becoming “the best employer on Earth.” Can generate.
The order is expected to particularly impact employees who rely on remote work flexibility, such as those with disabilities, care duties or visa restrictions. Employees also suggested that the mandate could drive senior staff members, who often have credentials and financial flexibility, to seek other roles away from Amazon, potentially impacting the collaborative culture that Amazon fosters. The company wants to promote.
The new policy would make Amazon one of the few major tech companies in Seattle that has such a strict office requirement. Starbucks recently implemented a similar approach, requiring corporate employees to work from the office three days a week starting in January, with non-compliance resulting in possible job loss.
In their letter, AWS employees reiterated their desire for Amazon to reconsider its stance, emphasizing, “Remote and flexible work represent an opportunity for Amazon to lead, not a threat. We want those leaders to do the same.” “Who want to work for America sees this moment as an opportunity to reinvent how we work.”
Meanwhile, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in an all-hands meeting Tuesday that the plan to require employees to be in the office five days per week is not meant to spur job loss or appease city leaders, as many employees have said. suggested, Reuters reported.
“I’ve seen a lot of people theorizing that we’re doing this because it’s a backdoor layoff, or because we’ve worked with the city or cities,” Jassi said, according to a transcript of the meeting reviewed by Reuters. Made some kind of deal.” ,
He said, “I can tell you both of those are not true. You know, this was not a cost game for us. This is about our culture and strengthening our culture.”
