Amazon employees push CEO Andy Jassy to drop back-to-office mandate
A group of Amazon employees are urging CEO Andy Jassy to reconsider a recent back-to-work mandate.
Last week, Jassy announced that Amazon would require company employees to spend at least three days a week in the office starting May 1. Amazon is rolling back its pandemic-era flexibility toward remote work after Jassy and Amazon's leadership team, S-team, determined it would be easier for employees to collaborate and invent together in person , while strengthening the corporate culture.
The move marks a change from Amazon's previous policy, last updated in October 2021, which left it up to managers to decide how often their teams should be in the office. Since then, there has been a mix of fully remote and hybrid working among white-collar workers at Amazon.
Employees created a Slack channel on Friday to advocate for remote work and share concerns about the new return-to-work policy, according to screenshots seen by CNBC. Nearly 14,000 employees had joined the Slack channel as of Tuesday morning.
Employees have also penned a petition, addressed to Jassy and the S-Team, calling on executives to drop the new policy, saying it "runs contrary" to Amazon's positions on diversity and inclusion, affordable housing, sustainability and focus on being the "Best Employer on Earth".
"We, the undersigned, call on Amazon to protect its role and status as a global retail and technology leader by immediately rescinding the RTO policy and issuing a new policy that allows employees to work remotely or more flexibly, if they wish. do so, as their team and role allows," according to a draft of the petition, which was previously reported by Business Insider.
An Amazon spokesperson pointed to Jassy's blog post on back-to-office advice.
Employees also pointed to Jassy's previous statements about return-to-office plans, in which he said there is no "one size fits all approach to how each team works best" and touted the benefits of remote working.
"Many employees trusted these statements and planned a life where their employer would not force them back into the office," reads a draft of the petition. "The RTO mandate shattered their trust in Amazon executives."
Employees who have moved during the pandemic or been hired for a remote position are concerned about the impact of the new policy on them, according to one employee, who asked to remain anonymous. Amazon's workforce has exploded over the past three years, and the company has hired more employees outside of its key tech hubs like Seattle, New York and Northern California, while embracing a workforce more distributed work.
Amazon hasn't clarified whether remote employees will be asked to relocate, beyond Jassy noting that there will be "a small minority" of exceptions to the...
A group of Amazon employees are urging CEO Andy Jassy to reconsider a recent back-to-work mandate.
Last week, Jassy announced that Amazon would require company employees to spend at least three days a week in the office starting May 1. Amazon is rolling back its pandemic-era flexibility toward remote work after Jassy and Amazon's leadership team, S-team, determined it would be easier for employees to collaborate and invent together in person , while strengthening the corporate culture.
The move marks a change from Amazon's previous policy, last updated in October 2021, which left it up to managers to decide how often their teams should be in the office. Since then, there has been a mix of fully remote and hybrid working among white-collar workers at Amazon.
Employees created a Slack channel on Friday to advocate for remote work and share concerns about the new return-to-work policy, according to screenshots seen by CNBC. Nearly 14,000 employees had joined the Slack channel as of Tuesday morning.
Employees have also penned a petition, addressed to Jassy and the S-Team, calling on executives to drop the new policy, saying it "runs contrary" to Amazon's positions on diversity and inclusion, affordable housing, sustainability and focus on being the "Best Employer on Earth".
"We, the undersigned, call on Amazon to protect its role and status as a global retail and technology leader by immediately rescinding the RTO policy and issuing a new policy that allows employees to work remotely or more flexibly, if they wish. do so, as their team and role allows," according to a draft of the petition, which was previously reported by Business Insider.
An Amazon spokesperson pointed to Jassy's blog post on back-to-office advice.
Employees also pointed to Jassy's previous statements about return-to-office plans, in which he said there is no "one size fits all approach to how each team works best" and touted the benefits of remote working.
"Many employees trusted these statements and planned a life where their employer would not force them back into the office," reads a draft of the petition. "The RTO mandate shattered their trust in Amazon executives."
Employees who have moved during the pandemic or been hired for a remote position are concerned about the impact of the new policy on them, according to one employee, who asked to remain anonymous. Amazon's workforce has exploded over the past three years, and the company has hired more employees outside of its key tech hubs like Seattle, New York and Northern California, while embracing a workforce more distributed work.
Amazon hasn't clarified whether remote employees will be asked to relocate, beyond Jassy noting that there will be "a small minority" of exceptions to the...
What's Your Reaction?
![Three of ID's top PR executives quit ad firm Powerhouse [EXCLUSIVE]](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ID-PR-Logo.jpg?#){kind=logo}
