Amazon wants workers back in office five days a week

Amazon announced on Monday that its 350,000 corporate employees must return to the office five days a week starting in January, becoming the first major tech firm to mandate a full in-office schedule post-pandemic.

CEO Andy Jassy announced the change in a memo, highlighting the benefits of in-person collaboration. Previously, Amazon’s corporate workers had to work from the office only three days a week.

The tech giant will add 3,500 phone booths and expand conference rooms to accommodate the increased office presence. Attendance will be monitored through badge swipes.

The change comes as office occupancy in the US surpassed 50% of pre-pandemic levels by August, and other tech giants like Microsoft and Google are also increasing in-office work requirements.

Zoom, SAP and AT&T have also adjusted their remote work policies. 

Meanwhile, research from the Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes shows that 41% of US workers had hybrid work arrangements as of September 2024.