Amazon made waves in September when it announced a mandate that its office employees return to the office full time at the start of 2025.
Earlier this month, CEO Andy Jassy denied that the reasons for returning to the office was an indirect way to create layoffs or an agreement with cities with Amazon offices for employees to come back, which would boost the economic fortunes of nearby restaurants and stores, among other businesses.
Under the new policy, workers have until Jan. 2, 2025, to return to the office full-time. The retail giant’s prior policy required workers to be in the office at least three days a week.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many institutional and commercial facilities have trended toward allowing office employees to work from home at least part of their work week. Many employees who are faced with difficult commutes and other reasons prefer to stay home have opted to work from their home offices, with many employees saying their work production has improved by staying at home.
The office changes have forced facility executives and managers to reevaluate how they set up their offices moving forward and reconsidering what kinds of amenities they offer to employees to entice them to return or enjoy the at-work experience more when they are in the office.
Major employers like Amazon create headlines when they take a stance on workplace conditions such as work-from-home or working in the office. What companies like Amazon or Google do often extends to other commercial businesses that employ many office workers.
According to CNBC, Jossy said during a company meeting that the decision to bring everyone back to the office is about strengthening Amazon’s culture and has nothing to do with layoffs. Another Amazon official said earlier this year that employees who do not comply can leave.
Amazon pointed to a number of employee benefits that they offer designed to help its employees with commuting, including free shuttles, subsidized parking and reimbursable public transit and rideshares.
How the situation evolves at Amazon will be followed beyond the walls of the retail giant’s locations and in the office of facility managers across the country.
Dave Lubach is the executive editor of the facilities market.
