Amazon's return-to-work plan now includes relocation for some employees

[midian182]

In brief: Although many companies have implemented return-to-work mandates, few have seen quite as much pushback from employees as Amazon. And a new policy could intensify the anger further: the tech giant will require some remote corporate workers to relocate to other cities.

Bloomberg writes that the relocation plan is part of Amazon's return-to-work policy, which requires corporate employees to be in the office for three days per week.

A person familiar with the matter said who will be relocated and when is to be decided at the department level, and Amazon has yet to determine how many workers will be affected. Other reports claim that select employees in smaller offices are being asked to move to main offices located in bigger cities.

The anonymous sources added that some staff who were hired or moved during the pandemic will have to relocate closer to large offices to meet the 3-day requirement.

Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser said the company will provide relocation benefits to those asked to move and will consider requests for exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

"There's more energy, collaboration, and connections happening since we've been working together at least three days per week, and we've heard this from lots of employees and the businesses that surround our offices," Glasser said. "We continue to look at the best ways to bring more teams together in the same locations, and we'll communicate directly with employees as we make decisions that affect them."

Amazon workers have spoken out against the return-to-work mandate since it was introduced in February. It led to thousands of staff joining a Slack channel and starting a petition, despite one senior executive suggesting, "let's not grab our torches and pitchforks quite yet." Around 30,000 signed the petition, which listed the benefits of home work, but Amazon ignored the pleas.

More discontent was on show in June when two employee groups staged a corporate walkout - streamed on Twitter - protesting the return-to-work mandate, climate goals, and layoffs. In the case of those cutbacks, the company has slashed more jobs than any other tech business: 27,000 since November.

"I'm not suited for in-office work," said Church Hindley, a quality assurance engineer, at the time of the walkout. "I deal with depression and anxiety and I was able to get off my anxiety medication and start living my life."

Amazon claims that it is easier to learn, model, practice, and strengthen its culture when employees are in the office together. It also says traditional working practices make collaborating and inventing easier, and learning from colleagues is better done in person.

"There is something about being face-to-face with somebody, looking them in the eye, and seeing they're fully immersed in whatever you're discussing that bonds people together," CEO Andy Jassy wrote. It seems most Amazon workers disagree.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/99518-amazon-return-work-plan-now-includes-relocation-employees.html

 

[messy]

If I'm in an in-person situation I want to be ONLY in-person. ie: for days in the office I can only be contacted in-person. I should at least reap the rewards where only one person at a time can interrupt me, ha

 

[Uncle Al]

Good to be retired ..... LOL

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Oh no, relocations?!? that NEVER happened before the Red Lung!!!! Those EVIL capitalists!!!! How will I be able to jack up the price of homes 1000 miles away from work now?!?

Boo hoo, they can cry about it, as they have been able to sit at home for three YEARS while some of us have to drive into work every day, and did during the pandemic too. If you dont like it, then quit your job and find another WFH job, of course keeping in mind that you are now competing with half the planet instead of those in your zip code for said jobs.

 

[Dirtronix]

I’ve worked both in office and remotely. Each has its advantages. Remote benefits… 20 footsteps to the office and no sitting in traffic. Working in office benefit… needing information right away to meet a deadline. Phone calls get dumped to voice mail and e-mails go unanswered. There is a great benefit to walking into an office, putting your hands face down on the desk, leaning forward, looking them in the eye and saying, “I need this… NOW.

 

[J95qRP7]

There is a great benefit to walking into an office, putting your hands face down on the desk, leaning forward, looking them in the eye and saying, “I need this… NOW.

I honestly thought this was going a different way when you started the sentence. I was expecting something like this. "There is a great benefit to walking into an office, putting your hands face down on the desk, leaning forward, and weeping that you had to return to the office".

You can pry work from home from my cold dead hands. No more stinky lunch rooms, no more employees who have bad breath, no more uncomfortable chairs, no more useless office chit chat.

 

[Bobbydpue]

Oh no, relocations?!? that NEVER happened before the Red Lung!!!! Those EVIL capitalists!!!! How will I be able to jack up the price of homes 1000 miles away from work now?!?

Boo hoo, they can cry about it, as they have been able to sit at home for three YEARS while some of us have to drive into work every day, and did during the pandemic too. If you dont like it, then quit your job and find another WFH job, of course keeping in mind that you are now competing with half the planet instead of those in your zip code for said jobs.

For a person who's awfully bitter about having to go back to work you seem very unsympathetic for those who were told they could work from home and then are being told they need to pick up their lives and move to a place they likely didn't want to live or couldn't afford to live.

 

[Gezzer]

After remembering the post about Amazon monitoring their drivers in real time, and using that to correct their driving, I think it's less about efficiency and more about control. They really want a entirely robot/AI workforce, and the tech isn't quite there yet. So they're treating the current human workforce left like they would an automated one as practice for that glorious day. Let the benevolent master Bezos bless as all...

 

[Theinsanegamer]

For a person who's awfully bitter about having to go back to work

I never stopped going into work. Most of us dont get such luxuries.

you seem very unsympathetic for those who were told they could work from home and then are being told they need to pick up their lives and move to a place they likely didn't want to live or couldn't afford to live.

You seem very unsympathetic for those who worked in these lower demand areas that are now being forced out of their homes by these city dwellers moving out of state and bringing their big California paycheck with them, driving up the cost of everything to unsustainable levels for locals.

If you dont like where your job is moving to, then quit! This has happened for hundreds of years, its not new, stop whining about it! Of course, when you DO quit that cushy job, dont be surprised if you cant find a similar paying job elsewhere. Welcome to the working class, we've dealt with this for decades!