When Amazon corporate employees woke to Monday’s news of a policy change requiring them to be at the office five days a week, some had to get the details from news articles or a press-release-like blog post by CEO Andy Jassy that was published for the public.
The company had sent employees an email before the public post, but the message contained a broken link to the internal company portal, and many employees were thus unable to actually read details within the internal announcement right away.
Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser characterized the incident as a brief one, and said it was quickly rectified. But for those unhappy about the return-to-work mandate, or anxious about how it might upend their personal lives, the technical hiccup added insult to injury, employees told Fortune.
The announcement quickly ricocheted across the broader business landscape, generating strong opinions within and without the organization. With Amazon being one of the largest private-sector employers in the world, and the second-largest in the U.S., companies debating a full return-to-office mandate could use the tech giant’s decision as cover to do the same. On the other hand, competitors could seize on the mandate to attract talented Amazon workers looking for more flexible work.
Either way, the news shouldn’t have necessarily come as a surprise. Such a mandate had been rumored inside Amazon, even in some pockets of the HR division, since at least early this year. Plus, Jassy’s 2023 announcement that mandated a return to office at least three days a week could have been seen as laying a foundation for a future decision just like this one.
“Collaborating and inventing is easier and more effective when we’re in person,” Jassy said in just one line of many championing in-person work a year and a half ago.
The decision also comes as Amazon’s culture has been struggling through growing pains, as Fortune recently reported, so Jassy & Company are making a calculated bet that more time together can help considerably in reinvigorating it.
Beyond the main internal and external memos, Amazon also published an internal Q&A document for employees that responded to what the company believed would be common employee questions. One that caught the attention of many who spoke to Fortune on Monday and Tuesday:
“Will we continue to have badging data?” the question read, referring to Amazon’s recent practice of tracking when employees visit an office.
“Yes, but our hope is that over time this will no longer be necessary,” the answer read. “Continuing to report badge data for now will help us track our progress and support conversations between employees and their managers as we go through this transition.”
Asked for details on the timeline for transitioning away from tracking employees, a spokesperson reiterated the above explanation and said the company did not currently have more information to share. The internal Q&A document was reported earlier by Business Insider.
Another question referred to employees who are required to work from their local Amazon office even though all colleagues from their team are based elsewhere.
“I’m the only one or one of just a few people from my team in the office I’m assigned to–does this update apply to me?” read the item in Amazon’s Q&A.
The answer, in short, was Yes.
“We believe that employees are much more likely to understand our unique culture and become part of it if they’re surrounded by other Amazonians in person, even if not on their immediate working team,” the response read in part. “We also encourage managers to work towards having as many of their team members together in one physical location as possible.”
For close readers, that last sentence also raised questions of potential smaller ripple effects still to come.
Are you a current or former Amazon employee with thoughts on this topic or a tip to share? Contact Jason Del Rey at jason.delrey@fortune.com, jasondelrey@protonmail.com, or through secure messaging app Signal at 917-655-4267. You can also message him on LinkedIn or at @delrey on X.
