“I used to be proud of my work and excited about my future here. I don’t feel that anymore.”
An Amazon corporate office building in Sunnyvale, California. Credit: Getty Images
More than 500 Amazon workers reportedly signed a letter to Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) CEO this week, sharing their outrage over Amazon’s upcoming return-to-office (RTO) policy that will force workers into offices five days per week.
In September, Amazon announced that starting in 2025, workers will no longer be allowed to work remotely twice a week. At the time, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said the move would make it easier for workers “to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture.”
Reuters reported today that it viewed a letter from a swath of workers sent to AWS chief Matt Garman on Wednesday regarding claims he reportedly made during an all-hands meeting this month. Garman reportedly told attendees that 9 out of 10 employees he spoke with support the five-day in-office work policy. The letter called the statements “inconsistent with the experiences of many employees” and “misrepresenting the realities of working at Amazon,” Reuters reported.
“We were appalled to hear the non-data-driven explanation you gave for Amazon imposing a five-day in-office mandate,’” the letter reportedly stated.
Employees banding together to protest against new, unfavorable work policies isn’t exclusive to Amazon. And the reported 500 workers who signed the letter represent just a fraction of Amazon’s worker base, which regulatory filings reported consisted of 1.5 million people in 2023. However, with the global conglomerate remaining firm about its stern policy thus far, eyes are on the Seattle firm’s HR approach, which could impact how other companies decide to implement RTO policies.
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In the letter, hundreds of Amazon workers reportedly lamented what they believe was a lack of third-party data shared in making the RTO policy. It said that Garman’s statements “break the trust of your employees who have not only personal experience that shows the benefits of remote work but have seen the extensive data which supports that experience.”
The letter included stories from 12 anonymous employees about medical, familial, and other challenges that the new RTO policy could create. The letter also reportedly pointed out the obstacles that a five-day in-office work policy has on groups of protected workers, like those providing childcare. The new policy will not align with Amazon’s “‘Strive to be Earth’s Best Employer’ leadership principle,’” the letter said.
In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson told Reuters that Amazon’s benefits include commuter benefits, elder care, and subsidized parking fees.
Collaboration concerns
Per statements from executives, Amazon is shaping its RTO policy to boost productivity and collaboration. At the all-hands AWS meeting earlier this month, Garman reportedly told workers that “we didn’t really accomplish anything, like we didn’t get to work together and learn from each other” with the three-day in-office policy because workers were in the office during different days.
Under the new policy, though, some employees are saying that they’ll have to move to a different state, with one employee telling Garman that this will force their spouse to quit their job. Some employees are worried about their productivity declining, too.
“I used to be proud of my work and excited about my future here. I don’t feel that anymore,” an employee reportedly said in the letter.
As a result, Amazon risks losing valuable employees, and many already say they are job hunting. But based on Garman reportedly reminding unhappy workers earlier this month that “there are other companies around,” Amazon seems willing—if not happy—to accept that.
