Amazon has told their staff they must go back to the office for five days a week which is taking away the opportunity for employees to work remotely.
Amazon’s chief executive Andy Jassy said in a memo, “We’ve decided that we’re going to return to being in the office the way we were before the onset of Covid.”
He added this will help staff be “better set up to invent, collaborate, and be connected enough to each other.”
Justina Raskauskiene, Human Resources Team Lead at e-commerce marketing platform Omnisend, said, “Only time will tell if Amazon’s decision to bring all corporate employees back for full-time office work will do more harm than good for the company. Taking away the opportunity for people to work remotely can harm a company’s chances of attracting the best talent in the job market. The choice of future candidates will be limited to people working in certain cities that have Amazon offices.
“Also, working remotely saves commuting time, meaning going back to the office could be a deal breaker for some of the current Amazon employees. This is especially the case for employees with childcare commitments who may choose to vote with their feet to find another remote position.
“Lastly, many people notice that individual tasks often get done faster at home than they would be done in the office. Some people can become less productive when they return to the office.
“However, on the positive side, some companies notice that in-person communication is much more efficient, leading to quicker decision-making. Many problems can be solved simply by meeting a colleague in the office kitchen and discussing all the questions in person.
“Team productivity and cohesion, in my view, are also stronger when working on-site. There is a smaller chance of misunderstandings, which are common when you are only discussing subjects online.
“In addition, non-remote work helps organisations more easily nurture company culture. For example, as someone working in human resources, I find training much more effective than doing so remotely, because it is easier to ensure that employees are not distracted.”
