Amazon employees ordered to report to work 5 days a week to ‘strengthen culture’

In a move that will affect people’s daily lives, work routines and local traffic, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced a back-to-office update on Monday.

According to a news release from Jassy, Amazon employees will have to report to the office five days a week instead of the current three days a week.

“Before the pandemic, it was not a given that folks could work remotely two days a week, and that will also be true moving forward — our expectation is that people will be in the office outside of extenuating circumstances or if you already have a Remote Work Exception approved through your S-Team leader,” Jassy stated.

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The circumstances Jassy referenced include if an employee’s child is sick, if they have a house emergency, if they are on the road seeing customers or partners or if they need a day to finish coding in a more isolated environment.

“We understand that some of our teammates may have set up their personal lives in such a way that returning to the office consistently five days per week will require some adjustments,” Jassy wrote.

Jassy said Amazon is also bringing back assigned desk arrangements, affecting the U.S. headquarters locations in the Puget Sound region and Arlington. However, for locations with more flexible arrangements, including much of Europe, it will continue to operate as is.

He added that Global Real Estate and Facilities is working on a plan to accommodate desk arrangements and will communicate the details.

Why go back to 5 days a week?

Jassy said “having the right culture” is imperative for Amazon and that having employees back five days a week will strengthen that culture. He said the new policy will lead to more innovation and collaboration.

He added a goal at Amazon is to have fewer managers and more individual contributions to “remove layers and flatten organizations more than they are today.”

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Amazon policy affects local businesses

“Downtown’s largest employer bringing people back more frequently is a home run for downtown,” Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) President and CEO Jon Scholes stated via email. “Amazon’s decision reinforces the value of in-person work to the success of companies and organizations.”

In May 2023, when Amazon issued the three days per week return to office, business was boosted for nearby restaurants and shops.

Lindsey Long of South Lake Union Bouquet told KIRO Newsradio they received more customers, especially those shopping for plants to decorate their desks.

Others were less happy with the three-day mandate. One employee, who asked not to be identified, told KIRO Newsradio they felt they were being forced unnecessarily to come back and didn’t believe they would be any more productive.

“It just feels a little bit like corporate overreach, frankly,” they said. “If you were doing your work and you were productive doing it in your previous working situation, to now being told to do your work in this specific space three times a week.”

In February 2023, Amazon asked all employees to come back to the office for three mandatory days, resulting in some protests from workers, as reported by The Associated Press.

A few months later, Jassy said employees who were not happy about the change should learn to “disagree and commit.” He also issued somewhat of a subtle threat, saying it was “probably not going to work out” for those who refused to do so.

In 2021, 70% of those who worked from home during the pandemic reported virtual meetings are less stressful and 64% preferred hybrid meetings, according to a report by Owl Labs.

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As previously stated, Jassy believes the new policy will help Amazon be more successful.

“I’m optimistic that these changes will better help us accomplish these goals while strengthening our culture and the effectiveness of our teams,” he stated.

The five days a week mandate will start on January 2, 2025.

Contributing: KIRO Newsradio staff; The Associated Press

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.