Amazon’s recent decision to haul employees back to the office five days a week (effective January 2, 2025) feels like a move from the “good old days” playbook. I’m all for face-to-face time—it’s crucial for collaboration, mentoring, and keeping culture alive.
However, mandating five days in the office is like showing up to a poker game with a handful of jokers and expecting to win.
Flexibility isn’t a perk anymore. It’s the fabric of how we work, especially for knowledge workers who don’t need to be physically present to perform.
Yet here we are, watching Amazon try to roll back the card playing clock on something we all know works: a hybrid model that gives employees room to breathe, think, and be productive. The future of work requires balance. That balance isn’t found by forcing people back into cubicles five days a week under the guise of “strengthening culture,” as Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy claims.
Rigid Office Mandates Ignore the Future of Work
Amazon’s size gives it the luxury of making bold decisions without fear of a revenue nosedive—Prime Day is practically a national holiday.
But just because it can doesn’t mean it should. Companies clinging to pre-pandemic office norms are missing the point entirely. We’ve learned that people don’t need to be tethered to a desk five days a week to deliver results. Productivity happens when employees are given autonomy. Let’s not act like this is news.
Research backs it up: 91% of remote workers feel more productive at home, and 98% want to keep remote work as part of their lives, according to 2023 research from Buffer 2023. So, what’s Amazon doing by enforcing this five-day rule? It’s doubling down on the outdated belief that presence equals performance.
Spoiler alert: it doesn’t.
Amazon risks a serious disconnect with a workforce already thriving under flexible, results-driven approaches. Too big to fail, perhaps? Remember, Prime Days still rule the world.
But I genuinely believe that this approach is bound to alienate employees. If the coffee badge strategy (where employees show up just to swipe their badge, grab a coffee, and disappear) is any indicator, it’s clear that not everyone at Amazon is on board with the new normal.
A Hybrid Model Honors the Needs of All Generations
Amazon also seems to be forgetting that its workforce is multi-generational, and not everyone’s needs are the same.
Younger employees crave flexibility and autonomy but still value in-person time for collaboration and mentorship. On the other hand, older workers might need accommodations for health or caregiving but can benefit from the social aspects of an office environment.
A rigid, five-day mandate ignores this diversity.
McKinsey’s 2022 report showed that 87% of employees across generations would choose to work flexibly if given the chance. Flexibility isn’t just a perk for Millennials—it keeps people productive and engaged, regardless of age.
Amazon’s one-size-fits-all approach overlooks the needs of its workforce, plain and simple. If they want to retain their top talent, a hybrid model isn’t just preferable—it’s essential.
Trust Breeds Productivity, Not Surveillance
Another point to consider is trust. Amazon’s five-day mandate might actually be about trust—or rather, the lack of it.
Forcing people into the office says, “We don’t trust you to be productive unless we can see you.” But trust is the backbone of productivity.
My Work-Life Assessment research found that trust boosts engagement by 36%. Additionally, 57% of employees already believe their organizations aren’t very trustworthy. And by throwing a mandate like five days of RTO into the mix? It’s only going to make that worse.
In LinkedIn’s 2023 Global Talent Trends report, 76% of employees said they were just as productive, if not more, working remotely. The bottom line is that trust isn’t earned by watching people at their desks—it’s built by giving them autonomy to do their work.
Amazon is stuck in a mindset that values “presence” over actual results. And the irony? The company’s employees have proven since 2020 that they can be productive, regardless of where they are.
A Flexible Work Model Drives Innovation, Not Just Convenience
Flexibility isn’t just about convenience; it’s about driving innovation.
When employees are given the freedom to work where they feel most creative, they’re happier, less burned out, and—surprise, surprise—more innovative. Creativity doesn’t happen when people are chained to their desks five days a week.
In fact, 63% of employees feel more innovative when given flexible working options, according to PwC’s 2024 Workforce Radar Report. And companies with flexible work models saw 63% more innovation, according to McKinsey.
That’s not a coincidence. 63% for the win! When people are less stressed, they think more creatively. When they think more creatively, guess what? The company makes money.
Amazon’s five-day mandate risks stifling the very innovation that has driven its success. Maybe they’ve done the math and decided it doesn’t matter. After all, it’s Amazon.
The Bottom Line
In sum, I’m not saying we should ditch the office altogether. In-person collaboration is critical—we need it to build relationships, solve problems, develop professionally, mentor others, and spark spontaneous hallway conversations.
But forcing knowledge workers into the office five days a week? It’s unnecessary, outdated, and out of touch with how work gets done today, specifically for millions of knowledge workers.
The sweet spot is a four-day hybrid workweek: two days in the office for those essential face-to-face moments and two days remote, where people can focus and get things done.
The companies that succeed in the future will be the ones that trust their people, embrace flexibility, and foster innovation—whether that happens in the office or at home. Anything else is just looking backward.
But maybe Amazon knows that already.