Since issuing a three day a week return to office policy in May, Amazon has been ratcheting up the pressure to force employees back in the office.
Amazon revealed it’s tracking US workers, as employees receive warning emails about not adhering to the company’s new three-day office policy.
The leaked email, posted on anonymous message board Blind, told certain employees, “We are reaching out as you are not currently meeting our expectation of joining your colleagues in the office at least three days a week .…”
The message continued, “We expect you to start coming into the office three or more days a week now.”
Employees Say Amazon’s Tracking Tech Has Flaws
Amazon is tracking employee attendance through the use of identification passes to gain access into the office building.
In a reply to an internal support ticket, the tech giant stated the email was sent to employees who had "badged in fewer than three days a week for five or more of the past eight weeks [or] have not badged in three days a week for three or more of the past four weeks."
However, some employees said they received the warning email in error.
“I got one despite following the rules because I have taken PTO which they don’t seem to factor in,” one Amazon employee wrote on Blind.
In response to complaints, Amazon admitted, “While we’ve taken several steps to ensure this email went to the correct recipients, we recognize that there may be instances where we have it wrong.” The company added that employees who received the email in error should reach out to their managers.
We reached out to the company for comment and will update this article with any responses we receive.
Related Article: The Value and Limitations of Returning to the Office
Amazon No Stranger to Upset Employees
The internal unrest comes nearly four months after Amazon’s mandate for employees to return to the office. The policy, which requires employees to work in-office at least three days per work, went into effect on May 1.
A month later, on May 31, Amazon employees at the Seattle headquarterswalked out in protestof the return-to-office mandate, as well as recent employee layoffs and the company’s environmental impact.
Amazon has also recently taken criticism fortracking warehouse employees, with a record filing obtained by Motherboard revealing how the company tracks worker activity down to the minute and penalizes employees who accumulate more than 30 minutes of “time off task.”
Responses Mixed to Amazon’s Latest Tracking Move
Responses to this latest move are mixed.
“I didn’t get [an email] since I follow the rules,” one Amazon employee wrote on Blind.
“Glad people will be piped soon for not following RTO. About time things get back to normal. Work is done at the office, not at home lazing and doing yoga,” wrote another.
Another Amazon worker claimed, “Never been to the office and didn’t get any emails. People who have been going to the office (3+ days) still got that email. Its all BS. Someone should fire SDM of that org .…”
Learning Opportunities
On the other hand, others say working from a set office is an outdated concept that could lead to Amazon limiting its access to anarrowing talent pool.
“I have been going most weeks 3x a week and yet to feel any surge of energy. Perhaps I am in the wrong building? Should I spend more time at the banana stand??” wrote one Amazon worker.
Management consultant and leadership coach Darla Bonk weighed in on the situation, saying, “Tracking of attendance is management. It is not leadership.”
To manage the masses is archaic, she said. “Attendance doesn’t mean a thing if you aren’t able to maximize the human capital for the 8-12 hours a day your employees are there. Is it about the BIC (butts in chairs) … or is it about what you hired that person to do?”
While requiring on-site attendance is necessary in some cases — like manufacturing — ultimately, said Bonk, “corporations have got to move past managing processes and managing the masses and remember they are leading humans.”
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Amazon Is Following the Tech Industry’s Lead
Amazon isn't the only company returning to the office after the bout of remote working brought on by the pandemic.
- Apple upped its return-to-work mandate to three days per week in August of last year.
- Elon Musk sent an email to Twitter employees last November telling them he expected them to be in the office at least 40 hours per week.
- In early June, Google told staff they must spend at least three days a week in the office, and attendance could impact performance reviews.
- This week, Zoom asked any staff living within a 50-mile radius of one of its offices to work in-office two days per week.
Still, data from a recent Buffer survey of 3,000 hybrid and remote workers suggests that the majority (71%) prefer the fully-remote work structure, compared to the 2% who would prefer a hybrid set-up with an office-first mentality (with remote working allowed) or the 6% who want hybrid with the occasional in-office requirement.
Ultimately, it doesn’t seem like tech companies are backing down on the return-to-office push. And attendance warnings via email are just a part of Amazon’s plan.
Managers at the company are also asking some employees to relocate to “main hub” offices, such as the company’s headquarters in Seattle, or offices in New York or San Francisco, according to the Wall Street Journal. Communications reveal that employees are given a set amount of time to relocate to these hubs, even if they live near another Amazon office. Those refusing to relocate will be given 60 days to find a team that allows them to remain in place, otherwise risk 'voluntary resignation,' according to Insider.
Amazon has yet to release a clear definition of what a “main hub” is or which of its employees this decision will affect.
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