Amazon return-to-office mandate isn't a 'backdoor layoff,' CEO says
Amazon (AMZN) CEO Andy Jassy tried to reassure unhappy workers that ending remote work is not an attempt at a “backdoor layoff.”
Jassy told workers in an all-hands meeting Tuesday not to indulge theories about why Amazon implemented the new policy, which requires them to come into the office five days a week, saying it is the right decision for the health of the company.
“A number of people I’ve seen theorize that the reason we were doing this is a backdoor layoff or we made some sort of deal with the city, or cities, and that’s why we were having people come back and be together more often,” Jassy said Tuesday, according to CNBC. “I can tell you both of those are not true.”
The new policy, which was announced in September and goes into effect at the start of 2025, was met with immediate backlash from employees. Online and in internal channels, employees sounded off on Jassy, and hundreds begged the company to reverse it.
Amazon had little patience for employee malcontent. Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman said of the policy: “If it’s not for you, then that’s okay — you can go and find another company if you want to.”
In an open letter signed by more than 500 workers, employees disputed his claim that “nine out of ten” staff members are “excited” about the shift to a five-day in-office requirement.
“We were appalled to hear the non-data-driven explanation you gave for Amazon imposing a 5-day in-office mandate,” the open letter stated, urging Amazon to rethink the policy, which they argue misrepresents their actual sentiments.
Garman said the three-day-a-week policy didn’t work because people came on different days. He also claimed that most employees were excited to be working in person.
—Francisco Velasquez contributed to this article.
