While many companies are stuck in an ongoing tug-of-war with employees over returning to the office, Amazon.com Inc. Chief Executive Andy Jassy appears to have run out of patience.
Insider reported Tuesday that Jassy told Amazon workers earlier this month that it was basically his way or the highway.
Earlier this year, Amazon AMZN, +1.33% asked all of its workers to return to the office at least three days a week by May 1. That sparked a vocal backlash from employees, including a walkout in May. The situation was exacerbated in July, when Amazon warned that some employees may be forced to relocate to the company’s main offices in big cities.
“It’s past the time to disagree and commit,” Jassy said in a recent staff meeting, according to Insider, which cited a recording it obtained. “And if you can’t disagree and commit, I also understand that, but it’s probably not going to work out for you at Amazon because we are going back to the office at least three days a week, and it’s not right for all of our teammates to be in three days a week and for people to refuse to do so.”
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After years of having a laissez-faire attitude toward returning to offices, Amazon has suddenly taken a hard line this year.
Insider reported in July that Amazon sought “voluntary resignations” from employees who did not want to relocate to company hubs, and in August the company warned employees who failed to regularly badge-in to their assigned office.
Amazon has laid off more than 27,000 workers so far this year.
A number of big companies have tightened their back-to-the-office rules this year, including Facebook parent Meta META, +2.66%, which will require being in the office three days a week starting in September, and even videoconferencing company Zoom ZM, +1.84%, while Goldman Sachs GS, +2.02% recently canceled “Summer Fridays” and ordered everyone back to the office five days a week.
More: White House wants federal workers back in the office in September. It’s a rare bright spot for D.C. properties.
Also: Most businesses plan to stick to current work-from-home arrangements