Mandatory Return To Work: What Amazon Got Wrong
This week Amazon announced its mandatory return-to-work policy. Effective January 2025, all employees of the retail and technology giant must report to an office, with assigned desks. CEO Andy Jassy shared a letter stating that reversing hybrid work policies will foster better collaboration, culture, and innovation. But is his analysis correct? Do teams really innovate more when they are face to face?
That said, I can also recognize that working in an office is ideal for some. Those who thrive on intense collaboration, need social connection, or whose creative processes are enhanced by in-person conversation may prefer it. In-person meetings offer significant value by building a sense of belonging and connected identity. They also allow for better interpretation of non-verbal cues like body language and facial expressions, leading to clearer communication, deeper interpersonal understanding, and stronger human connections.
In a perfect world, we’d have both—the ability to work from home and engage in face-to-face interactions when needed. This could include attending conferences, participating in local networking events, or visiting a nearby office to collaborate with teams—without compromising the ability to fold laundry between meetings.
However, when I read between the lines of Amazon’s and other companies’ return-to-work policies, I don’t see an acknowledgment of the need for balance. Quite the opposite: I see an antiquated way of doing business that doesn’t fully consider the humans who drive performance and profits.
Speaking of profits, Amazon and other large organizations are not struggling in the post-pandemic world. In February 2023, Amazon reported a Q4 2022 year-over-year net sales increase of 9 percent, rising to $149.2 billion from $137.4 billion in Q4 2021. By Q1 2024, Amazon’s revenue grew by 12 percent year-over-year, with its net income more than tripling to $10.43 billion.
In the IT channel, Amazon Web Services has been a major driver of growth, as companies seek cloud infrastructure and AI solutions—posting a 17 percent year-over-year increase in sales. Amazon’s e-commerce division, which boomed during the pandemic, continues to thrive due to high demand and innovations in delivery systems, including robotics and electric vehicles.
Amazon’s call to “return to being in the office the way we were before the onset of COVID” presents an unrealistic approach to today’s world. The world has changed forever due to the pandemic—a transformation Amazon itself has played a large part in facilitating.
Ultimately, what’s needed is a balanced approach—one that embraces the best of both worlds. The flexibility of working from home has proven invaluable for productivity, mental well-being, and, frankly, just getting through the day without a commute. At the same time, we can’t deny that some of the magic happens in-person—brainstorming on the fly, grabbing a quick coffee to talk through an idea, or reading a room in ways Zoom just can’t replicate. Why choose one over the other? A hybrid model that allows employees to have autonomy, while also fostering in-office collaboration, feels like the answer. It’s about meeting people where they’re at, trusting them to get the job done, and creating spaces—whether physical or virtual—where innovation and connection thrive.
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Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash