In a general meeting including Reuters And CNBC obtained the transcript, Andy Jassy wanted to clarify his intentions regarding teleworking in his company. “ This decision concerns our corporate culture and its strengthening », insists the CEO of the group, brushing aside the accusations according to which this measure would be a “ disguised social plan “. A direct response to the speculations that agitate the corridors of the e-commerce giant.
A decision that shakes the Amazon empire
The change is radical: from January 2, 2025, employees will be required to be present in the office five days a weekcompared to three currently. A decision which was announced at the end of September by the leader. As one might expect, the latter triggered a wave of internal protests.
The hunt for teleworking is therefore starting again with a vengeance, and to challenge it, hundreds of employees signed an open letter. They particularly protested against the comments of Matt Garman, head of Amazon Web Services (AWS), who had suggested to the dissatisfied people to go “ see elsewhere » if the decision did not suit them. Words that would almost remind us of those of a certain Elon Musk, two years ago.
Corporate culture as a line of defense
“Some people think we made a deal with the cities, others that it’s a backdoor way of reducing numbers. Both are false” assures Jassy. “ It’s not a question of savings”. A justification that is difficult to convince for two reasons. The first is that Amazon experimented extensively with remote work during the pandemic, and this experience demonstrated that remote work could be just as productive and efficient for many tasks.
The second, and certainly the most important, is that the group has already eliminated more than 27,000 positions since 2022. Indeed, Amazon had recruited massively during the pandemic to cope with explosive demand. This rapid growth proved too complex to sustain in the long term. The CEO, however, insists: this compulsory return to the office aims only to strengthen the corporate culture, not to push employees towards the exit.
An ambiguous position and statements that seem difficult to take literally; this return to the office and the reasons which led Jassy to organize it are probably more complex than he lets on.
- Amazon is imposing a mandatory return to the office 5 days a week from January 2025, in the name of corporate culture, despite a wave of internal protest.
- CEO Andy Jassy denies accusations of constructive dismissal.
- Amazon has already cut 27,000 positions since 2022, which fuels skepticism around the real reasons for this anti-teleworking policy.
