More than 500 Amazon employees sent a letter to the CEO of its Web Services unit this week, asking Matt Garman to rethink his earlier statements and stance regarding the company’s proposed return-to-office policy.
“As employees of AWS and Amazon who work tirelessly every day to obsess over and innovate on behalf of our customers, we were appalled to hear the non-data-driven explanation you gave for Amazon imposing a 5-day in-office mandate at the AWS Global Meeting on October 17th,” the staff letter, obtained by Business Insider, begins.
“By rigidly mandating a 5-day in-office culture and telling employees who cannot or will not contribute to the company’s mission in this specific way that ‘there are other companies around,’ you are silencing critical perspectives and damaging our culture and our future in doing so,” the memo continued.
Last month, Garman said in an all-hands meeting that the majority of workers he spoke with support the online retailer’s mandate for employees to be onsite five days a week. He also suggested that those who find the office environment unsuitable or unappealing are free to seek employment elsewhere.
Garman alleged that the existing three-day hybrid work model, which requires employees to be in the office part-time, has not been successful. He noted, “We didn’t really achieve much; we weren’t able to collaborate and learn from one another,” since employees often come into the office on different days.
The letter, signed by 523 staff members (with 172 of those including their names), said his remarks were “inconsistent with the experiences of many employees.”
Amazon disclosed on Thursday an 11% rise in its revenue for the third quarter, driven by robust growth in its AWS cloud computing division. Revenue from AWS increased by 19%, reaching $27.5 billion, a significant jump from the 12% growth recorded during the same quarter last year.
In September, CEO Andy Jassy announced that Amazon employees are to return to the office five days a week, starting January 2, 2025.
“When we look back over the last five years, we continue to believe that the advantages of being together in the office are significant,” Jassy wrote in a company blog post. “We’ve observed that it’s easier for our teammates to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture; collaborating, brainstorming, and inventing are simpler and more effective; teaching and learning from one another are more seamless; and, teams tend to be better connected to one another,” the chief executive added.
Jassy said that his experiences over the past 15 months of working in the office have strengthened his belief in the advantages of traditional, in-person work.
The new mandate triggered immediate opposition among its employees. Many workers at the tech giant are reportedly seeking new employment opportunities by “rage-applying” to other jobs, in response to the policy update, Fortune reported.
The letter’s signatories argue that the new mandate unfairly impacts several groups of employees. These include working parents, particularly those with young children, as well as caregivers. Additionally, they point out that the new policy poses challenges for neurodiverse employees and those with disabilities or disorders. Workers on visas are especially vulnerable, as they must either comply or risk having to leave their homes if they quit their jobs.
In an emailed statement, Amazon spokesperson Margaret Callahan said, “We understand that this may be a transition for some employees, which is why we’re sharing this guidance now, well before we expect employees to work from the office as they did prior to the pandemic. We also offer employees a number of resources depending on their location, including access to elder care options and pet sitters, as well as free memberships to online referral services where they can find trusted caregivers.”
According to Callahan, the company offers a range of commuter benefits and services designed to provide employees with flexibility in their travel to the office. These benefits differ by location and include options such as funded or reimbursed public transportation in major metropolitan areas, complimentary commuter shuttles, a monthly flexible subsidy for rideshare, carpooling and biking expenses. Additionally, employees who cycle to work can access onsite bike cages and shower facilities, as well as subsidized parking rates at Amazon facilities.