Amazon employees revolt: 500-plus workers challenge return-to-office policy

More than 500 Amazon employees urged Amazon Web Services boss Matt Garman to stop making them return to the office.

According to reports, the workers sent a letter to Mr. Garman on Wednesday, pleading with him to reverse the policy. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced in September that the office mandate starts in January.

At an Oct. 17 meeting with AWS employees, Mr. Garman said 90% of employees agreed with the new policy.

Yet in their letter, the employees said, “We were appalled to hear the nondata-driven explanation you gave for Amazon imposing a five-day in-office mandate.”

The letter added that Mr. Garman’s comments misrepresented the feelings of Amazon workers, who they say are overwhelmingly against the company’s policy change. 

Attached to the letter were anonymous testimonials from Amazon workers who said the new move would add an extensive commute, taking them away from their families. 

This week’s letter is further evidence of discontent among Amazon employees. During the coronavirus pandemic, the retail giant let its corporate employees work entirely remotely. As pandemic restrictions loosened, Amazon required employees to come into the office at least three days a week unless they had a special reason to stay home. 

Meanwhile, return-to-office mandates have become popular with tech companies trying to maximize productivity and reduce costs. Corporations like Goldman Sachs, IBM and Google have moved in that direction, with varying levels of rebellion from employees.