(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Amazon workers are revolting against the company after executives released a mandate requiring them to work in the office three days a week.
Several employees are writing up petitions and many are threatening to leave the company after the memo, sent by CEO Andy Jassy, which explained that teams are usually more productive when they work together in the office.
The memo went out on Friday. Shortly after it was released employees united in a Slack channel titled “Remote Advocacy,” which now has at least 14,000 members, according to the Daily Wire
The vast majority of the Amazon staff claimed they were already searching for another job as a result of the impending change.
“This is going to be absolute chaos and make everyone’s work distracted for probably a quarter, maybe longer,” one employee wrote. “It’s hard to be productive with so much uncertainty injected into our lives.”
The change in work arrangements follows a recent rash of layoffs and a hiring freeze from the company, which also triggered the staff.
Despite this fear, Amazon’s remote workers—who have been known to sue the company for things like wi-fi, electricity and at-home office supplies—banded together to write a petition.
“We, the undersigned Amazonians, are responding by petitioning for the right to choose where to work, including remote locations,” an early draft of the petition read.
Amazon executives said the lockdowns made it clear that company culture is withering as people become more and more separated from each other via remote work. There is also some concern about the level of productivity, as a study from Microsoft revealed that many managers are skeptical of their employee’s efficacy.
“It’s easier to learn, model, practice and strengthen our culture when we’re in the office together most of the time and surrounded by our colleagues,” Jassy wrote to employees. “When you’re in-person, people tend to be more engaged, observant, and attuned to what’s happening in meetings and the cultural clues being communicated.”
Several tech companies are in the midst of mass layoffs and transitioning from remote work models to traditional office work. Even government officials are requesting workers return to their offices.
