NEW YORK — Amazon employees have been expressing their concerns about the company’s return-to-office policy, but CEO Andy Jassy is now urging them to “disagree and commit.”
In a recent internal Q&A session, Jassy emphasized the importance of aligning with the policy, which requires corporate employees to work in the office three days a week. The phrase “disagree and commit” is a key principle at Amazon, frequently used by its founder and current executive chairman, Jeff Bezos.
Jassy stated, “If you can’t disagree and commit, it’s probably not going to work out for you at Amazon.” He also highlighted the need for consistency among employees, stating that it wouldn’t be fair for some to work in the office while others refuse to do so. Business Insider initially reported Jassy’s comments, which were later shared by Amazon.
The current office attendance mandate, implemented in May, marks a shift from Amazon’s previous flexible policy. However, the company clarified that the prior policy was not intended to be the norm and emphasized its willingness to adapt based on new information. In a blog post from 2021, Jassy mentioned that Amazon would continue making adjustments.
Jassy justified the updated policy by stating that in-person work tends to foster better engagement and collaboration, as observed during the pandemic and through conversations with leaders at other companies. Despite these justifications, many employees remain unconvinced. In May, hundreds of Amazon employees protested the new policy at the company’s Seattle headquarters, and an internal Slack channel advocating for remote work gained 33,000 members.
Some employees have also requested data to support Jassy’s claims. During the Q&A session, Jassy explained that the company’s leadership analyzed available data and found that meetings were less effective when conducted remotely. He acknowledged that Amazon has made significant decisions in the past without perfect data, citing examples such as the creation of an online marketplace for sellers and the establishment of AWS, its cloud computing unit.
In addition to the return-to-office policy, Amazon has implemented a requirement for some employees in smaller offices to relocate to larger cities, according to multiple media reports.
Amazon employs 1.4 million people worldwide, but the exact number of office-based employees is undisclosed.