Angela Poe Russell: The irony in Amazon’s new return-to-work policy

65,000. That’s roughly how many people work for Amazon in the Puget Sound region.

It’s unclear how many were working from home part-time, but even if it’s a fraction, the impact on traffic after Jan. 2 might be jarring. The roads are already congested now.

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But what I find most fascinating about this bold move to go five days a week is no mention of the impact on the environment. This is surprising, considering it was Amazon that got the naming rights to the new Seattle Arena and called it Climate Pledge Arena. The name is supposed to serve as a reminder of the “urgent need for climate action” and it echoed the company’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2040.

And Amazon has done a lot since it announced this five years ago. It has…

• Invested in companies that innovate in ways that protect the planet
• Expanded the use of electric delivery vans, cargo e-bikes and on-foot deliveries
• Developed climate pledge-friendly labels on products so customers can find them

To me, putting thousands of people back on the road five days a week seems to counter what they say is important.

According to a study by Cornell and Microsoft, remote workers have a 54% lower carbon footprint. Hybrid workers also have a reduced carbon footprint, ranging from 11% to 29% lower on average, depending on the individual’s lifestyle.

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Look, I get it. Amazon employees returning to work is great for our local economy, especially for the small businesses; and in my view, there is something about working together in person.

But what’s really driving this all or nothing? If I’m just looking at financial results, the company has not suffered with hybrid work. Just this week, it reported their net income increased to 15.3 billion compared to 9.9 billion this time last year.

While I do agree that, as an employee, we work for someone else, in the case of Amazon, this feels like a community decision. The company’s footprint is too big from a traffic and environmental perspective, so I won’t be telling those Amazon employees to just suck it up because I have a feeling most of us will be doing it also.

Angela Poe Russell is a local media personality and contributor to KIRO Newsradio