Amazon CEO Andy Jassy made a case — and a mandate — for office work on Monday.
In one publicly available message, Jassy said that Amazon Over 1.5 million employees must return to the office five days a week beginning January 2nd. Amazon is also bringing back desks to offices that had that setup before the pandemic.
Jassy positioned the move as a better way to work and a return to life before Covid.
“We've noticed that it's easier for our teammates to learn, model, practice, and reinforce our culture; collaboration, brainstorming, and invention are easier and more effective; teaching and learning from each other are more relaxed; and teams tend to bond better with each other,” said Jassy.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Jassy also said that situations requiring remote work such as illness, emergency or being on the road are still acceptable.
However, these examples of remote work are the exception to the new rule, not the norm.
Amazon employees are back in the office at least three days a week since February 2023. A July report from Bamboo HR showed that one in four managers secretly hoped that employees would leave on stricter return-to-office policies.
“Strengthening our culture remains a top priority for the s-team (senior leadership team) and me. And I think about it all the time,” he wrote. “We want to operate as the biggest startup in the world.”
Under the new policy, working from home two days a week is no more. The office culture is returning to how it was before the pandemic, to strengthen the work culture and bring better results, explained Jassy.
Related: Dell reportedly told remote workers to return to the office or forfeit their chance to be promoted
Amazon joins companies like Salesforce AND Walmart that have implemented stricter return-to-work policies.