December 18, 2024 – Amazon has decided to postpone the implementation of a new strict RTO (Return to Office) policy for some employees due to insufficient office space in certain regions, according to a report by Business Insider on the 17th.
The real estate team at Amazon has recently begun notifying employees that they can continue to follow the current office work arrangements until additional office space is ready. Internal notices indicate that the delay in some areas may extend until May.
The cities affected include Atlanta, Houston, Nashville, and New York. An Amazon spokesperson stated that most employee office buildings will be completed by January 2nd.
Earlier this year, Amazon announced that starting from January 2, 2025, employees would be required to work from the office five days a week. The company believes that this requirement will enhance team collaboration and provide other benefits. CEO Andy Jassy announced this measure to “further strengthen” the company’s culture and team cohesion.
However, some employees have expressed opposition to this, arguing that remote work provides more flexibility. This five-day-a-week policy is seen as more stringent than some of its competitors, and some even consider it harsher than Amazon’s pre-pandemic office policy.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Amazon has postponed its “Return to Office” plan due to insufficient office capacity. Last year, when the company required employees to work from the office at least three days a week, many office buildings were not fully prepared.
When announcing the new five-day RTO policy in September, Amazon issued strict internal guidelines to employees, stating that regardless of whether they had been assigned an office space, they should plan to return to work from the office by January 2nd. “The vast majority of employee office spaces will be ready by January 2, 2025. If your office space is not ready by January 2nd, we still expect you to start working full-time from the office as scheduled.”
