- Natalie Sherman
- New York – BBC
The Amazon CEO has expressed optimism regarding the results of reducing working days from home
Amazon has instructed its employees to return to work from offices three days a week, ending its policy of leaving the decision regarding remote work to team leaders.
Andy Jassy, CEO of the company, informed the employees of this change, stressing that the new policy will start from the first of next May.
Thus, Amazon joins Disney and Starbucks following adopting stricter rules regarding remote work this year.
Jassy said the change will enhance communication, professional development, and company culture.
He added, “Collaboration and innovation are easier and more effective when we deal face to face,” which was stated in a note sent to the company’s employees.
And remote work began during the closure procedures that were in place at the time of the spread of the Corona virus in 2020. This type of work – also called work from home – is still more prevalent than the pre-epidemic period, but the results of surveys conducted in this regard suggest that this trend is At work it slowly declines.
The volume of work from home fell from 35 percent in January 2022 to 27 percent last month, according to a monthly online survey of work arrangements and trends conducted by economist at Stanford Business School Nicholas Bloom and others since May 2020.
It also included Disney’s policy, which it announced last January, to return employees to work from offices for at least four days a week, starting next March.
Starbucks also required employees to return to work from offices at least three days a week, while video game developer Activision announced similar plans this week.
A number of prominent businessmen, including Elon Musk, who ended the work-from-home policy in Tesla and Twitter, have indicated that they do not prefer to practice remote work.
But most staff are resistant to changes aimed at returning to work from corporate offices, which in some cases has led to employers reversing the decision to cancel work from home.
New York Mayor Eric Adams said the city plans to ease work requirements from corporate offices as it struggles to fill vacancies.
Amazon’s chief executive said that company executives have spent enough time noting the pros and cons of different ways of working.
He added, “I know that for some employees it will take some time for them to adjust to the new way of working. But I am very optimistic regarding the potential positive impact this might have on the way they serve and innovate for customers as well as the expected positive impact on the growth and success of our employees.”
