More than 500 Amazon employees sent a letter to the CEO of its AWS division on Wednesday calling for a reversal of the full return-to-office policy, saying there is widespread support for the rule and that opponents should leave Amazon Web Services. rejected his claim.
“We are appalled to hear your undata-based explanation for Amazon's five-day in-office requirement,” the letter begins.
AWS CEO Matt Garman said at an October 17 all-hands meeting of the cloud computing division that nine out of 10 employees he spoke to agreed to the return-to-office policy, which is scheduled to take effect early next year. He said he supported it.
A letter sent to Garman and seen by Reuters said those comments were “not consistent with the experiences of many employees” and “misrepresent the reality of working at Amazon.”
An Amazon spokesperson said the company offers commuter benefits, elder care and parking subsidies to support in-office work.
“We're very excited about this change,” Garman said, adding that under the current three-day week policy, collaboration is very difficult as people may be in the office on different days. He said that.
A company-wide policy announced by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy in September has been controversial within Amazon, as it would increase commute time and expenses if remote work was effective. Many said it was a waste. Some say they are planning to quit the company. Amazon is enforcing this policy, asking many employees to go to regional offices, move to Seattle, or take “voluntary resignations.”
Garman's comments do not reflect independent data and “undermine the confidence of employees who have seen not only their personal experiences demonstrating the benefits of remote work, but also the broader data supporting that experience.” ', the letter says.
According to the letter, requiring people to be in the office five days a week would particularly impact protected populations of workers, such as neurodiverse workers and workers with childcare responsibilities, and would “comply with Amazon's 'Earth's Best' policy.” “We do not support the leadership principle of 'Striving to be an employer of the highest quality.'
The letter includes anonymous testimonials from 12 Amazon employees who said it was difficult or impossible for them to comply with the company's five-day policy due to family obligations, commute times, medical needs, or other reasons. It was attached.
One person said it would take four hours to get to the nearest office. Another said their spouse would be forced to quit their job to relocate across the country. And another said working from home is more efficient.
“I was proud of my work and excited about my future here,” one said. “I don't feel that way anymore.”
The letter linked to a 2020 blog post Garman wrote in which he wrote that AWS was operating effectively at the beginning of the pandemic when most employees were working remotely. Masu.
Amazon is taking a stricter approach to return-to-office mandates than many technology companies, which have two- or three-day policies. The company said the policy helps employees “invent, collaborate and connect,” and Garman suggested the three-day policy “didn't really accomplish anything.”
