According to the survey, 73% of Amazon employees are quitting due to this return-to-office policy. Additionally, 91% of employees expressed dissatisfaction with the policy and a huge number have already witnessed colleagues leaving the company as a result of this decision.
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Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced that starting January 2025, corporate employees will be required to return to working in the office five days a week.
This is a departure from Amazon’s previous hybrid work model, which allowed greater flexibility, enabling employees to work remotely for part of the week.
The new policy applies broadly but still allows some exceptions such as remote work permission for employees who have specific approval or for those dealing with health issues.
According to Blind’s survey of 2,585 Amazon professionals, 73% of respondents said they are contemplating quitting due to the return-to-office mandate.
A huge portion of employees has already started searching for new jobs and many are determined to secure new positions before the RTO policy goes into effect in January 2025.
Over one-third of respondents reported that they know a colleague who has resigned directly due to this announcement.
Blind conducted a survey of 2,585 verified Amazon employees shortly after Jassy’s announcement. 73% of respondents indicated that they were considering quitting due to the new RTO policy.
91% of Amazon employees stated they were overwhelmingly dissatisfied with the five-day office requirement. 80% of respondents reported that they knew a colleague who was actively seeking other employment options due to the mandate.
32% of surveyed Amazon employees claimed they knew someone who had already resigned in response to the RTO memo.
Many Amazon employees are engaging in rage applying, a term used to describe the rush to apply for new jobs in response to the RTO mandate.
Amazon Employees are interviewing for roles at companies offering more flexibility, fearing that Amazon’s decision could set a precedent that other tech giants might follow.
Fortune reported that workers in other tech companies including Google and AT&T expressed concern on Blind, believing that their employers might implement similar in-office policies.
Amazon’s RTO mandate appears to be creating recruitment challenges for the company. Reports from professionals involved in recruitment suggest that many candidates are opting out of Amazon’s hiring process.
A Microsoft professional noted that thousands of candidates have dropped out of Amazon’s recruitment pipeline in the 24 hours following the announcement.
Recruiters at Amazon have become more aggressive, frequently contacting candidates to fill positions left vacant by employees who quit or withdrew from the hiring process.
Amazon is likely to face an uphill battle in attracting top talent in an environment where remote and hybrid work is becoming the standard for many tech companies.
The survey from Blind with anecdotal reports from within Amazon, suggests that the company could experience a mass exodus of employees in the coming months.
Amazon Employees are not only dissatisfied with the in-office mandate but are also preparing to leave before the policy is fully enforced in January 2025.
Amazon’s management may need to address this crisis by reassessing its rigid RTO mandate to retain its workforce.
Earlier in 2024, Amazon laid off 27,000 workers as part of cost-cutting measures. The layoffs and current restructuring plans were intended to increase efficiency and foster greater ownership among employees.
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CEO Andy Jassy defended the five-day workweek by stating that being physically present in the office fosters a stronger work culture and facilitates learning, collaboration and innovation.
Jassy said that employees are better able to model, practice and strengthen the company’s culture when they work together in person.
However, the lack of concrete data supporting this stance and the abruptness of the change, has caused Amazon employees to question the rationale behind the decision.
Research shows that most companies are actually moving in the opposite direction. A report by Flex Index, which analyzed office policies across 9,000 companies, revealed that only a third of US firms have maintained strict five-day office mandates.
37% of Amazon employers now offer hybrid work models, an increase from 20% at the start of 2023. The tech sector has seen many companies backtrack on their RTO mandates as they face stronger resistance than expected from their employees.
Numerous studies show that remote work tends to boost productivity and overall employee satisfaction. Workers report being able to focus better without the interruptions of office life and many even continue working while unwell from home.
With remote work, employees also save an average of $6,000 per year on expenses such as commuting and childcare.
Eliminating remote work would increase employees’ demands for higher salaries, relocation bonuses and raises to cover the extra costs associated with returning to the office.
With only 23% of employees reportedly trusting their company leaders in general, a decision like this could exacerbate feelings of disconnection and lead to even higher turnover.
High performers, who thrive on autonomy and trust may leave Amazon for companies that offer greater flexibility and a more supportive work environment.
Other tech companies are towards more flexible work arrangements. A recent study by Flex Index, which analyzed over 9,000 companies found that only one in three firms maintained a strict five-day office attendance policy.
More companies are adopting hybrid models with 37% offering such arrangements in 2023, up from 20% earlier in the year.
Dell Technologies has also announced a similar five-day RTO mandate specifically for its sales team. This is a shift from Dell’s earlier three-day office requirement.
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