"Amazon Faces 'Poor Performance'... Tightening Rules with 'At Least 3 Days a Week Office Attendance'"

Industry's Largest Layoffs Followed by Remote Work Reduction
US Office Attendance Surpasses 50% for First Time Since COVID-19

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunha Kim] Amazon has reduced the scale of remote work introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic and encouraged employees to work in the office.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy instructed employees via memo on the 17th (local time) to "spend more than three days a week in the office."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This will take effect from May 1. It takes time to bring thousands of employees back to offices worldwide.

Amazon's net profit in the fourth quarter of last year plummeted 98% compared to the previous year, resulting in the worst performance, and in January, it laid off 18,000 employees. This is the largest scale among the five major US big tech companies. Subsequently, it also increased office attendance, tightening control.

US companies, including Amazon, have recently been eliminating or reducing remote work and increasing office work. Earlier, Disney changed its policy to require employees to work in the office four days a week starting next month, and Starbucks changed its policy to require office attendance three days a week.

This trend is clearly reflected in numbers as well. According to a recent survey by US security firm Castle Systems, the average office occupancy rate in the top 10 major US cities at the end of January was 50.4%. This is the first time the rate has exceeded 50% since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.

Google and Microsoft, which introduced office attendance from last year, have encouraged employees reluctant to return to the office after two years of remote work by offering various incentives such as pop star performances and free meals to promote their return.