Last week, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced it would enforce a mandatory return to office (RTO) for all Amazon employees five days a week starting January 2, 2025. The early verdict from company employees is, and expectedly, overwhelmingly negative. According to a report from The Register, 91% of polled Amazon employees are unhappy with the policy change, and 73% want to quit and work elsewhere.
Blind, an online forum of verified tech workers, polled over 2,500 employees. The platform requires users to sign up using work email addresses. While the poll is not scientific, it indicates the sentiment of the internal company well.
Ironically, it sounds like Amazon workers are unwilling to disagree and commit to one of the company’s Leadership Principles dating back to founding CEO Jeff Bezos.
32% of polled Amazon workers know someone who has already quit
Jassy’s announcement is still fresh, under two weeks old. However, the poll was conducted a few days later, giving employees at least some time to process the RTO mandate.
Within a few business days, 32% of polled respondents said they knew someone who had already quit over the mandate, and 80% stated they knew people who were considering quitting.
Amazon employees rip RTO mandate as recruiting efforts collapse
“I don’t need others to impose rules that ruin my quality of life,” one Amazon employee wrote on Blind. “Decisions like the one from Jassy are a big reason I don’t want kids,” they continued.
Amazon workers continue to beg and plead with Jassy and other senior leadership to reverse the RTO decision.
Not surprisingly, the RTO mandate has hurt Amazon’s recruitment efforts. Many applicants within Amazon’s hiring pipeline have backed out, expressing disagreement with the RTO policy. The applicants have cited it as a deciding factor to withdraw and apply elsewhere.
One tech professional shared they had an Amazon recruiter “blow up their phone and inbox five times in the last 24 hours to get their availability to perform an on-site interview.”
When the applicant asked why there was an increased urgency, the recruiter shared, “Hiring managers are pissed so many applicants dropped out of the pipeline within the last 24 hours.”
Where are tech remote jobs left in 2024?
While many Amazon employees – potentially an overwhelming majority – are seeking an exit for more flexible work environments, it remains to be seen where they can go. Many “big tech” and Silicon Valley-headquartered companies still embrace and support hybrid work schedules. But, the days of full remote tech jobs continue to plummet from a historical high during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The few fully remote or majority remote working tech jobs are in short supply, and there is immeasurable demand. There is no certainty of long-term viability. Everyone is asking the question: Are remote Big Tech jobs dead?
KPMG study: 86% of CEOs would reward full RTO with promotions, raises, and top assignments
According to a KPMG study, while 53% of polled Americans work a mixture of in-office and home-office schedules today, 79% of CEOs believe fully remote work will be dead in three years or less.
Only 34% of the CEOs felt that would be true just a few months ago.
To help incentivize employees to return to the office full-time, 86% of the CEOs would reward in-office employees with prized assignments, raises, and promotions.
It shows a rapid change in sentiment across executive leadership, at least within corporate America. If this mentality persists, it could have significant implications for the American tech force.
Many are watching how this situation unfolds with Amazon. Only time will tell, from attrition and recruitment to using artificial intelligence to offset headcount.
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