Friends, family, and loved ones, we’re gathered here today to pay our respects to the work-from-home era.
What happened: Amazon is putting an end to loading laundry during the weekly all-hands, demanding a complete return-to-office starting next year. Employees must go in five days a week and will no longer have the option to work from anywhere for four months of the year.
- Amazon already had one of the tech world’s stricter RTO policies, requiring workers in the office three days a week and threatening “voluntary resignation” if they weren’t.
Why it matters: Amazon isn’t the first company to demand a full RTO, but it’s certainly one of the most influential. Companies across various industries that have already rolled back WFH could now feel emboldened to eliminate it for good as they try to reignite productivity.
Yes, but: It won’t happen without pushback. In a post-Covid world, hybrid work options are now a must-have for many employees, especially top performers. Within minutes of introducing the new policy, employees were blasting it in the company’s Slack channels.
In Canada: Many Canadian employers are increasingly adopting tougher RTO policies. Top banks have been demanding workers spend a majority of the week in office since last year and, as of last week, federal civil servants must now work in person three days a week.—QH