Amazon CEO denies forced return to office move is "backdoor layoff"

Amazon is pushing ahead with its RTO policy

· TechRadar

News By Craig Hale published 6 November 2024

(Image credit: Amazon)
  • Amazon CEO Andy Jassy denies “backdoor layoff” claims
  • The company will enforce a full-time RTO policy from January 2, 2025
  • 500 workers have already signed a petition against the change

Not long after hundreds of Amazon workers signed a petition against the company’s proposed five-day return-to-office policy, company CEO Andy Jassy has denied claims the mandate was introduced to quietly push workers away.

At a recent all-hands meeting (via CNBC), Jassy rejected claims the RTO policy is a “backdoor layoff,” adding the push for in-person working would reinforce Amazon’s culture.

The news comes after a September 2024 announcement detailing the new full-time RTO plans, set to be enacted from January 2, 2025.

Amazon’s RTO policy isn’t a “backdoor layoff”

“A number of people I’ve seen theorize that the reason we were doing this is a backdoor layoff or we made some sort of deal with the city, or cities, and that’s why we were having people come back and be together more often," Jassy declared.

The reaction from Amazon workers is understandable, given the company has laid off around 27,000 workers since tech redundancies skyrocketed in 2022.

Signed by around 500 workers, the recent petition against the company’s RTO mandate alleged that AWS CEO Matt Garman’s claims many workers were on board with the change were incorrect. Prior to that, Garman also reportedly told workers unhappy with the change to consider leaving the company altogether.

Up from the current three-day policy, the change to full-time office hours marks a significant shift in the tech sector. Many of Amazon’s rivals are still working on three-day mandates.

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