Stronger Together: Building Tomorrow’s Ideas In Person at Amazon
Reviving Collaboration: Five Days, Full Potential
Amazon has announced a significant change to its return-to-office policy, joining other major companies like Citigroup, Walmart, and UPS in mandating stricter in-office requirements.
In a memo released on Monday, CEO Andy Jassy informed employees that starting January 2, 2024, Amazon’s workforce will be required to work on-site five days a week. This shift marks a departure from Amazon’s current policy, which requires employees to be in the office three days a week.
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Jassy emphasized that working together in person enhances the company’s culture and fosters better collaboration.
In his memo, Jassy said Amazon has observed that it is easier for employees to “learn, model, practice and strengthen” the company’s culture, and brainstorm, when they work together in person. “If anything, the last 15 months we’ve been back in the office at least three days a week has strengthened our conviction about the benefits,” he said.
Amazon’s decision comes as a minority of U.S. companies push for full-time office presence.
Recent data from Flex Index shows that only 33% of U.S. companies require five-day office attendance, and fewer than 10% of tech firms with over 1,000 employees have adopted such policies. The move signals a broader shift among major employers toward more traditional work structures, despite the flexibility many employees have grown accustomed to during the pandemic.
