Expect traffic: Amazon employees in Washington begin return to office full time

Thursday is the day that Amazon employees need to begin reporting to the office five days per week instead of the previous mandate of three days per week.

It’s a move that is expected to affect people’s daily lives, particularly traffic in the Seattle area given that Amazon employs about 50,000 workers at its Seattle headquarters, according to a report last year from the Puget Sound Business Journal.

“With the holidays and everything, people come back a little bit slowly in many other areas,” Ryan Avery with the University of Washington’s transportation center told KIRO Newsradio Thursday. “So what we might see is sort of a slow ramp up.”

He said the real squeeze will be more evident in April.

The impact on area traffic

In February 2023, Amazon asked all employees to come back to the office for three mandatory days beginning in May of that year. KIRO Newsradio traffic and transportation reporter Chris Sullivan identified right away that the change impacted traffic getting into Seattle.

“The return of Amazon workers to Seattle for three days a week has blown our commutes out of the water,” Sullivan wrote in May 2023.

Going further, Sullivan got numbers from Inrix, a firm that studies traffic, and reported the average speed on westbound State Route 520 (SR 520) dropped by 28% during weekdays since the Amazon return. The average speed on Interstate 90 (I-90) west fell by 38%.

Interstate 5 (I-5) north into the city also saw the morning commute extend longer since the return of Amazon workers.

Avery is worried the return to work mandate with clash with the Revive I-5 Project.

“One of the things that I’m more concerned about this return to office is as we are heading into some of the more consequential effects of the Revive I-5 program, where the Washington State Department of Transportation is rehabilitating large portions of I-5 from Yesler to the Ship Canal, that there will be 30% capacity reductions and I-5 starting in spring,” he explained.

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More on Amazon’s order to employees to return to work

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced a back-to-office update in a statement on Sept. 16.

“Before the (COVID-19) 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.

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, Virginia. However, for locations with more flexible arrangements, including much of Europe, it will continue to operate as is.

He added Global Real Estate and Facilities is working on a plan to accommodate desk arrangements and will communicate the details. However, a recent Geekwire story, citing multiple reports, states some U.S. offices don’t have enough space to accommodate all of the workers returning to the office. Offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Nashville, New York and Phoenix are affected, Geekwire stated. Some return dates will be pushed back months.

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.”

“If we do this work well, it will increase our teammates’ ability to move fast, clarify and invigorate their sense of ownership, drive decision-making closer to the front lines where it most impacts customers (and the business), decrease bureaucracy and strengthen our organizations’ ability to make customers’ lives better and easier every day,” Jassy stated.

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In October, one of the top executives of Amazon defended the company’s in-office policy, suggesting that employees who do not support the change can seek employment elsewhere.

Speaking at an all-hands meeting for Amazon Web Services (AWS), unit CEO Matt Garman stated that nine out of ten workers he has spoken with support the new policy, which is set to take effect in January, according to a transcript reviewed by Reuters.

“If there are people who just don’t work well in that environment and don’t want to, that’s OK, there are other companies around,” Garman said.

Amazon’s previous mandate to employees went into effect in May 2023

Employees were not happy with the three-day mandate instituted in 2023. 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,” the worker 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.”

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.

Amazon policy affects local businesses

In May 2023, after Amazon issued the order to return to the office three days per week, 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.

“Just the sheer amount of people out and about, it’s refreshing to see. And now the sun is out, it was just perfect timing,” Long said. “Just much more foot traffic, we’ve had tons more people in the store.”

While many Amazon employees may not be happy about changing their work routines, the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) is happy to have the extra foot traffic in the city.

“Downtown’s largest employer bringing people back more frequently is a home run for downtown,” DSA President and CEO Jon Scholes said in a statement emailed to KIRO Newsradio and MyNorthwest. “Amazon’s decision reinforces the value of in-person work to the success of companies and organizations.

Scholes’ statement also noted the positive effect Amazon’s previous back-to-work mandate had on the city of Seattle.

“When Amazon moved to three days per week in May ’23 the impact was huge, particularly in the Denny Regrade and South Lake Union neighborhoods,” Scholes explained. “Bringing people back five days per week is going to be great for small businesses, restaurants and arts & culture, and will add to the overall vibrancy of the heart of the city. Other employers may take notice and make similar moves, and downtown is ready for their return.”

Contributing: Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest; KIRO Newsradio news desk; The Associated Press