Amazon’s remote employees now risk getting the boot

In another round of the remote work crackdown saga, Amazon has become the latest company to threaten employees with unemployment if they don’t return to the office three times a week.

According to Insider, who obtained Amazon’s updated global manager guidance on the company’s work-from-home policy, managers are given the green light to terminate the employment of employees who refuse to comply with the company’s plans for in-office work.

Managers are told to hold private conversations with employees who refuse to come into the office three times a week. If the employee still fails to comply after discussions, managers are then instructed to hold a follow-up one-on-one meeting with the employee.

“This conversation will 1) reinforce that return to office 3+ days a week is a requirement of their job, and 2) explain that continued non-compliance without a legitimate reason may lead to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of your employment," the memo read.

Related: Why Elon Musk says remote workers are 'detached from reality'

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy first warned workers in February of this updated in-office policy in an email and later made a blog post, highlighting the importance of face-to-face communication.

“Teams tend to be better connected to one another when they see each other in person more frequently. There is something about being face-to-face with somebody, looking them in the eye, and seeing they’re fully immersed in whatever you’re discussing that bonds people together,” he wrote.

Amazon’s stern warning to employees follows a recent trend of tech companies narrowing down on remote work. In March, Zoë Schiffer, a managing editor at Platformer, tweeted that Apple started to monitor its employee in-office attendance by tracking employee ID badge swipes to make sure workers are coming into the office three days a week. Failure to reach the attendance requirement could result in warnings and even termination, 

Earlier this week, Roblox CEO David Baszucki told employees that they will be required to work in the office Tuesday through Thursday starting Jan. 16, 2024, if they refuse, they will be out of a job. Also, Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently labeled remote workers as "detached from reality" in a call discussing Tesla’s third-quarter earnings on Oct. 18.

“I mean, how detached from reality does the work-from-home crowd have to be while they take advantage of all those who cannot work from home?” said Musk in the call.

If remote work indeed continues to go on a downward spiral within companies, it could cost employees thousands of dollars a year. According to a survey in 2022 that polled 4,000 workers in July and August, teleworkers save an average of $6,000 a year as they spend less money on food and travel. Also, many remote workers have relocated to rural areas that have lower costs of living which adds to the yearly savings.