AWS CEO defends return-to-office policy amid staff discontent

90% of employees unhappy with the new mandate, with 73% considering leaving the company

Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman has recently addressed employee dissatisfaction regarding the company’s enforced return-to-office policy. 

Earlier this year, AWS announced that employees would be required to work in the office five days a week, effectively ending its hybrid working arrangement. Staff were given until January 2 to transition back to full-time in-person work.

Unsurprisingly, this policy has sparked significant backlash. Reports indicate that as many as 90% of employees are unhappy with the new mandate, with 73% considering leaving the company. 

Garman has acknowledged this sentiment, stating, “If there are people who just don't work well in that environment and don't want to, that's okay; there are other companies around.” He stated that the policy aims to foster an environment conducive to “inventing, collaborating, and being connected.”

Despite this rationale, compliance with the new policy has been strictly enforced. Some employees who failed to adhere to the in-office requirement were reportedly told they were “voluntarily resigning” and were subsequently locked out of company systems.

While the policy has been met with frustration from staff, Garman insists it is a positive shift. “By the way, I don't mean that in a bad way,” he noted, adding that the goal is to cultivate a workspace where teams can collaborate effectively.

He further stated, “When we want to really, really innovate on interesting products, I have not seen an ability for us to do that when we're not in-person.”

Amid this trend, some companies are choosing to maintain flexible work policies. In contrast to AWS, Spotify has reaffirmed its commitment to hybrid work, with the Chief HR Officer stating that the company trusts its workers and does not want to “treat them like children.”