Amazon CEO: New Return-To-Office Policy Will ‘Require Some Adjustments’

Amazon CEO said that to boost innovation and collaboration, corporate workers must return to the office five days a week. Amazon will “return to being in the office the way we were before the onset of COVID,” Andy Jassy said today in a memo to employees.

Amazon is mandating corporate workers return to the office five days a week in a move CEO Andy Jassy says will help the company “operate like the world’s largest startup.”

“Strengthening our culture remains a top priority for the s-team and me. And, I think about it all the time,” said Jassy in a memo to employees today.

“We want to operate like the world’s largest startup. That means having a passion for constantly inventing for customers, strong urgency (for most big opportunities, it’s a race!), high ownership, fast decision-making, scrappiness and frugality, deeply-connected collaboration (you need to be joined at the hip with your teammates when inventing and solving hard problems), and a shared commitment to each other,” said Jassy.

To better innovate and collaborate, Jassy said Amazon will “return to being in the office the way we were before the onset of COVID,” which will officially begin on Jan. 2, 2025.

Additionally, Jassy said Amazon will simplify its corporate structure by having fewer managers to flatten its organizational structure.

Jassy: Why Working From Office Yields 'Significant' Benefits

Amazon’s current policy requires employees to work in the office at least three days a week with the ability to work from home two days per week.

“The last 15 months we’ve been back in the office at least three days a week has strengthened our conviction about the benefits,” he said.

Amazon’s CEO believes that the advantages of “being together in the office are significant.”

“We’ve observed that it’s easier for our teammates to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture; collaborating, brainstorming, and inventing are simpler and more effective; teaching and learning from one another are more seamless; and, teams tend to be better connected to one another,” said Jassy.

Jassy said he joined Amazon initially 27 years ago without intending to work at Amazon headquarters in Seattle for a long time. However, he said, “the biggest reason I’m still here is our culture.”

“Being so customer focused is an inspiring part of it, but it’s also the people we work with, the way we collaborate and invent when we’re at our best, our long-term perspective, the ownership I’ve always felt at every level I’ve worked (I started as a Level 5), the speed with which we make decisions and move, and the lack of bureaucracy and politics,” said Jassy.

Returning To The Office ‘Will Require Some Adjustments’ For Employees

Amazon’s Jassy says his company understands some employees have set up their personal lives in such as way that returning to the office five days per “will require some adjustments” from its workers.

To help ensure a positive transition, Jassy is giving employees until Jan. 2, 2025, before officially making the policy change.

“With a company of our size and complexity, the work won’t be trivial, and it will test our collective ability to invent and simplify when it comes to how we organize and go after the meaningful opportunities we have across all of our businesses,” said Jassy.

Amazon’s CEO ended his memo by saying he’s “optimistic” about the new return to office changes.

“I’m optimistic that these changes will better help us accomplish these goals while strengthening our culture and the effectiveness of our teams,” he said.