In response to CEO Andy Jassy’s recently announced return-to-office mandate, Amazon employees continue to voice their opposition by spamming an internal website with messages opposing the new policy. A group of Amazon tech workers organized a Slack channel and drafted an internal petition opposing the mandate, which requires them to return to the office at least three days a week starting on May 1. In recent days, the group has amassed 16,000 members, and about 5,000 employees have signed the petition. The petition urges Jassy and Amazon’s leadership team, known as the S-team, to drop the mandate, just days after it was announced.
Workers repeatedly commented on the recording of Jassy’s recent all-hands meeting on Amazon’s internal news feed. One Amazon employee, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press, noted that employees began leaving those comments after Amazon restricted staffers from “liking” or commenting on Jassy’s memo announcing the return-to-office requirement. Each comment shows the poster’s identity and role at the company.
The announcement caught many employees off guard, and they expressed frustration that they would have to find childcare, caregivers for aging parents, or possibly move in order to commute. It was reported that one employee recently leased a car with an annual mileage limit of 16,000 miles, assuming that remote work would be an option; if they are required to attend the office at least three days a week, this limit would be exceeded. Those who took advantage of the company’s previous flexible work policies are now concerned about the commute because they moved outside major cities in search of more affordable housing.
Several employees encouraged their colleagues to be responsible and avoid creating too much commotion, in order to avoid the company closing the Slack channel as a result. In order to support the petition, many staffers are using the phrase “Remote Advocacy” in their Slack statuses. This petition provides information about their concerns regarding the mandate, as well as a number of data points and studies that demonstrate the benefits of remote work, such as increased productivity and the ability to retain top talent. It was previously the responsibility of Amazon’s individual managers to determine how often their teams needed to come into the office. Aside from remote and hybrid work, Jassy acknowledged that Amazon is in the midst of experimentation, learning and adjusting and that the company might adjust its return-to-office policy.
Earlier this week, Jassy acknowledged that bringing employees back into the office would present a number of challenges in a memo announcing the mandate: “We know that it won’t be perfect at first, but the office experience will steadily improve over the coming months (and years) as our real estate and facilities teams smooth out the wrinkles, and ultimately keep evolving how we want our offices to be set up to capture the new ways we want to work,”.
Alexis Boutilier is from Vancouver, British Columbia. She has a high interest in all things tech and loves to stay engaged on all the latest appliances and accessories.