Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO, Matt Garman, delivered a blunt message to employees regarding the company’s recently enforced five-day in-office mandate. In an all-hands meeting at Amazon’s second headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, Garman said that employees who are unhappy with the new policy have the option to leave. He stressed that Amazon values a collaborative, in-office environment, which is crucial for innovation and maintaining the company’s culture.
“If there are people who just don’t work well in that environment and don’t want to, that’s OK, there are other companies around,” Garman said, as per a transcript seen by CNBC. He added that Amazon is committed to creating a workplace where employees thrive in a collaborative setting, as it enhances both productivity and innovation.
Amazon announced the new office policy last month, requiring corporate employees to be physically present in the office five days a week starting January 2, 2024. This marks a shift from the previous policy, which allowed for hybrid work arrangements, with workers in the office at least three days a week. The move comes as Amazon aims to stay competitive in the development of generative artificial intelligence (AI), a key area of focus for the company, as it faces competition from tech giants like Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google.
Despite the company’s stance, some employees have voiced their dissatisfaction. Over 37,000 employees have joined an internal Slack channel created to advocate for remote work and express concerns over the new mandate, citing challenges such as work-life balance and caregiving responsibilities. Many feel they are just as productive working from home or in a hybrid setup as they are in an office.
However, Garman painted a different picture at the all-hands meeting, stating that “nine out of 10 people are actually quite excited by this change.” He acknowledged that some flexibility would be allowed in certain cases, where, for example, an employee may need to work from home for a day with managerial approval. Still, Garman emphasized that the primary focus is to foster an in-office culture.
Garman also highlighted the importance of Amazon’s “leadership principles” and said that maintaining these values is easier in person. He noted the company’s principle of “disagree and commit,” which encourages employees to debate and challenge each other’s ideas. According to Garman, this kind of open discussion is difficult to achieve over videoconferencing software like Amazon’s Chime.
“I don’t know if you guys have tried to disagree via a Chime call — it’s very hard,” Garman added, underscoring the challenges of remote work for maintaining Amazon’s culture of collaboration and innovation.