91% of Employees Dissatisfied with 5-Day Workweek Policy
67% of Respondents Say "Would Give Up Promotion if Remote Work Possible"
When the world's largest e-commerce company Amazon announced that it would completely abolish remote work and introduce a five-day in-office workweek, a survey revealed that more than 70% of Amazon employees are considering changing jobs. Amazon employees are known to be highly paid, earning at least $350,000 (460 million KRW).
On the 26th (local time), Blind, an anonymous workplace review site, conducted a recent survey targeting Amazon employees. After CEO Andy Jassy announced a "full-time office return," 73% of Amazon employees responded that they are looking for new jobs. Additionally, 80% of the employees who participated in the survey said they know colleagues who are seeking other jobs due to the company policy.
The survey was conducted from the 17th to the 19th, the day after CEO Jassy informed all employees of the five-day workweek policy, with 2,585 participants.
On the 16th, CEO Jassy stated, "Unless there are special circumstances, employees must come to the office five days a week," adding, "Looking back over the past five years, we are confident that there are many advantages to working together in the office."
In this survey, Amazon employees responded that the company's five-day in-office work policy lowered morale. It was pointed out that the change in work patterns could have a greater impact on employees who were able to care for their children while working remotely. 91% of employees expressed dissatisfaction with the five-day in-office policy, while only 9% said they were satisfied.
Another anonymous site, Glassdoor, also recently conducted a survey in which 74% of respondents said they were reconsidering their careers after the company's announcement of the in-office work policy. Among the respondents, 67% said they would be willing to forgo promotions if they could continue working remotely. Furthermore, 49% said they would accept a 10-20% pay cut if they could work remotely whenever they wanted.
Earlier, Amazon implemented remote work to cope with COVID-19. However, as the COVID situation eased and skepticism about the efficiency of remote work arose, the company established a policy in May requiring employees to come to the office at least three days a week. Accordingly, many employees have been working in the office three days a week and remotely for two days. [Photo by Reuters·Yonhap News]
Previously, Amazon had implemented remote work to cope with COVID-19. As the COVID-19 situation eased and skepticism about the efficiency of remote work arose, Amazon established a policy in May requiring employees to come to the office at least three days a week. Accordingly, many employees have been working three days in the office and two days remotely each week.
Not only Amazon but many U.S. companies that allowed remote work during the COVID-19 period are now combining in-office and remote work as the pandemic subsides. Google has been requiring employees to come to the office three days a week since April last year, and Apple and Meta have also been implementing a three-day in-office workweek since September last year. However, Amazon is the first major corporation to completely end remote work and announce a five-day in-office work policy.
This policy is expected to face strong opposition from some workers. Some argue that remote work saves time and money and is efficient, and they have opposed the three-day in-office work policy. In May, Amazon employees at the Seattle headquarters staged a strike in protest against the company's work policy, climate change response policy, and layoff policy.
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