The Stakes for Returning to the Office Just Got Higher
Amazon is warning employees they may not get promoted if they don't work onsite.
BY BRIT MORSE, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, INC.@BRITNMORSE
Amazon just set a higher bar for in-office mandates and perhaps gave businesses a new stick to compel workers back to the office.
The e-commerce giant announced on November 17 that corporate employees who don't come into the office at least three days a week may not get promoted, CNBC reports.
Staffers who ignore the rule will be subject to an additional layer of leadership approval for any potential promotions. Previously, during the pandemic, Amazon allowed individual managers to decide how often team members needed to work in person.
"Promotions are one of the many ways we support employees' growth and development, and there are a variety of factors we consider when determining an employee's readiness for the next level," Brad Glasser, an Amazon spokesperson, told the news organization. "Like any company, we expect employees who are being considered for promotion to be in compliance with company guidelines and policies."
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The news comes as no surprise, as tensions have risen between Amazon and its roughly 350,000 corporate employees since the company announced its return-to-office requirements in February of this year. In response, staffers created a Slack channel to advocate for remote work and drafted a petition asking the company to drop the new policy, CNBC reported.
Amazon leadership took a hard line and decided to keep the mandate in place. Then in May, shortly after the new rules were enacted, some employees staged a walkout over the company's "lack of trust" in leadership. Amazon does have a remote work exception in place and considers requests on a case-by-case basis, but the message is clear. If you want to move up, show up.
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