Amazon asks staff to attend office “the majority of the time”

21 February 2023, Seattle: CEO of tech company Amazon, Andy Jassy has asked staff to change their work routine and come to work again from May after the pandemic’s work-from-home (WFH) rules have largely relaxed.

“We should go back to being in the office together the majority of the time (at least three days per week),” he wrote. He said in his memo to staff that being in the office allows staff to “absorb the culture” as well as “collaborate and invent.”

“For those unsure about why something happened, or somebody reacted a certain way, it’s easier to ask ad-hoc questions on the way to lunch, in the elevator, or the hallway; whereas when you’re at home, you’re less likely to do so,” said Jassy.

This hybrid model is extended to 66 per cent of US employees in 2022, according to Zippia. In 2022, 16 per cent of US companies are fully remote, with 26 per cent of US employees working remotely.

Amazon follows Twitter in recently firing thousands of employees and asking the remaining staff to attend in person. Amazon announced in January it would cut over 18,000 jobs globally. Jassy cited the ‘uncertain economy’ for these decisions.

The pandemic saw millions of staff around the world directed to WFH to stem the spread of the virus. Many staff now consider WFH a much more desirable lifestyle, with 97.6 per cent of remote workers preferring to work remotely, at least some of the time, for the rest of their careers.

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