Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Matt Garman addressed the company's planned return-to-office (RTO) policy, acknowledging uncertainty about how many employees will leave due to the mandate, which demands five in-office days per week beginning in January. Garman recognized prospective employee exits at The Wall Street Journal's Tech Live event on Monday, saying, "If it's not for you, then that's okay – you can go and find another company if you want to."
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Despite the policy's potential for attrition, Garman stated that most staff he's spoken with are open to the change. In recent comments and an internal business meeting transcript, he stated that around nine out of 10 Amazon employees he spoke with are "actually quite excited by this change."
Garman defended the in-office mandate, citing its benefits in promoting creativity and increasing execution speed. "Particularly as we really think about how do we want to disrupt and we want to invest on behalf of our customers, we find that there is no substitution for doing that in person," he told me. He stressed that in-person interactions – whether brainstorming on a whiteboard, working with colleagues in neighboring cubicles, or conversing casually in the coffee line – are critical to fostering a vibrant, imaginative work atmosphere.
The tougher attendance guideline came after a previous attempt at a three-day in-office requirement, which failed because employees' schedules, resulting in fewer collaboration days. Amazon's five-day policy contrasts with other major companies including Google, Meta, and Microsoft, who have more flexible two or three-day in-office requirements.
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Some employees, however, are uncomfortable with the RTO mandate. The internal conversations reviewed by Business Insider reveal staff unhappiness, with one questioning whether Amazon's stricter policy is consistent with its declared mission of being "Earth's Best Employer."