Mandatory 5-Day Workweek After 3 Days a Week Since May Last Year
Amazon First Among Major Corporations...Employees Likely to Resist
The world's largest e-commerce company, Amazon, is completely eliminating remote work. Amazon had previously mandated office attendance at least three days a week starting in May last year.
Andy Jassy, Amazon's CEO, stated in a letter to internal employees on the 16th (local time), "Before the COVID-19 pandemic, working remotely two days a week was not the norm, and it will not be in the future," adding, "Unless under special circumstances, employees will be required to come to the office five days a week."
The world's largest e-commerce company, Amazon, is completely eliminating remote work. Andy Jassy, Amazon's CEO, stated, "Unless there are special circumstances, employees must come to the office five days a week." The photo is not directly related. [Image source=Getty Images]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon allowed employees to work from home. However, since May last year, the company has implemented a policy requiring employees to come to the office at least three days a week. As a result, most employees have been commuting to the office three days a week and working remotely for two days.
CEO Jassy explained, "Looking back over the past five years, I believe there are many advantages to working together in the office," and added, "We have confirmed that team members can more easily learn and practice in the office, which strengthens our culture."
He also said, "Teaching and learning from each other tends to be smoother, and teams connect better," adding, "Collaboration, brainstorming, and invention also become simpler and more effective."
Even three years after the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States still has a relatively high proportion of remote work. This is the opposite trend compared to Europe and Asia, where most have returned to pre-pandemic levels.
The reasons for this phenomenon include differences in public transportation systems and residential infrastructure. Public transportation in Asia and Europe is more reliable than in the U.S., resulting in shorter commute times. Additionally, American workers tend to live in spacious suburban homes, which makes it relatively easier to create a remote work environment compared to Asian workers living in smaller apartments.
Because of this, instead of completely eliminating full-time remote work after the pandemic, a hybrid system allowing about two days of remote work per week has spread in the U.S. According to recent statistics, as of October last year, 38% of companies required full-time office attendance, while 62% adopted hybrid work systems. Google started a three-day office attendance policy in April last year, and Apple and Meta also switched to three days a week in the office starting in September of the same year.
Among major corporations, Amazon is the first to announce a policy requiring five days a week office attendance. Therefore, employee backlash is expected following the implementation of the five-day office attendance policy. Amazon employees had previously opposed the company's minimum three-day office attendance policy established last year.
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