The e-commerce giant Amazon is introducing a new policy that ties promotions to compliance with the company’s return-to-office mandate in an effort to bring their corporate employees back to the office. Employees who do not meet the criteria of working in the office three days a week may have fewer opportunities for promotion, according to a CNBC report.
The internal guidance underscores the pivotal role of managers in the promotion process, emphasising their responsibility to support employee growth through regular discussions and challenging assignments. Managers are also asked to ensure compliance with the in-person work mandate, and non-compliance cases will require approval from Vice Presidents.
A spokesperson for Amazon, Brad Glasser, confirmed the new policy’s adoption and emphasised that promotions are a way of showing the company’s commitment to fostering employee development and growth. Glasser emphasised that adherence to company guidelines and policies is a crucial factor in promotion decisions.
Since the start of the return-to-office push in May this year, a rift has been brewing between Amazon and its approximately 350,000 corporate employees. The company came out of its Covid-era policy, wherein individual managers were given the liberty to have the autonomy to decide team members’ in-office frequency, but now the IT giant has decided on the mandate of a minimum of three days of work from office in a week.
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Employees at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters protested this change by walking out in opposition. Additional criticism was levelled at how 27,000 people were laid off. Although there was an internal petition calling on CEO Andy Jassy to reevaluate the return-to-office mandate, Amazon has stuck with its initial decision.
Recent steps taken by the IT firm suggest that Amazon is taking a stricter stance, informing certain workers that in order to keep their jobs, they must move to central office centres in various states. As a result, several workers have opted to quit rather than take these actions.
While employees are considering the repercussions for their jobs as Amazon tightens its hold on in-office attendance, the corporation is unwavering in its commitment to the return-to-office policy despite internal resistance.
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Previously, on Friday, Amazon announced a new round of layoffs where they are letting go “hundreds of employees” from its Alexa voice assistant unit. The company cited “shifting” business priorities and a greater focus on generative artificial intelligence as reasons for these recent layoffs.
