Amazon To Block Employee Promotions Who Don't Return To Office: Report

Amazon has announced that employees who do not show up for work three times a week will be blocked from promotions, as per a report in the Independent. The company told managers that a higher office-to-home ratio is a must for employees who wish to advance in their careers. If they do not adhere to the same, employees would need approval from the Vice President. 

"Managers own the promotion process, which means it is their responsibility to support your growth through regular conversations and stretch assignments, and to complete all required inputs for a promotion. If your role is expected to work from the office 3+ days a week and you are not in compliance, your manager will be made aware and VP approval will be required," the internal memo stated. 

This comes after the e-commerce company implemented a policy in February this year requiring workers to report to work three days a week starting in May. The COVID-19 pandemic altered the workplace, with companies sending employees home to work remotely. Even as lockdowns eased around the world, a large population of employees remained remote or in a hybrid environment. In a message that was posted on Amazon's blog, CEO Andy Jassy wrote the decision was taken at a meeting and that the move would make it easier to learn and collaborate. The company added there would be some exceptions to the rule - customer support roles and salespeople would have the option of working remotely.

Many staff members resisted the policy and around 30,000 employees petitioned Amazon to do away with its office rules in March 2023. At a protest at the company's Seattle headquarters in May, hundreds of Amazon employees voiced their opposition to the new policy. 

Later in August, the CEO told staff, "It's past the time to disagree and commit. If you can't disagree and commit, it's probably not going to work out for you at Amazon because we are going back to the office at least three days a week."

Meanwhile, Amazon.com cut around 180 jobs in its games division, at least the second round of layoffs in under a week by the online retailer and digital streaming provider in a broader restructuring, an email viewed on Monday by Reuters showed. "After our initial restructuring in April, it became clear that we needed to focus our resources even more on the areas that are growing with the highest potential to drive our business forward," said Christoph Hartmann, Vice President of Amazon Games.