Amazon CEO denies claims that in-office mandate is a veiled attempt at layoffs

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has stated that the mandate was very much about the strengthening of the company’s culture, according to a Reuters report.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy reportedly clarified on 5 November 2024 that the company's decision to mandate five days of in-office work per week for its employees is not intended to force attrition or appease city leaders. 

According to a Reuters article, this policy shift, set to take effect next year, has "caused consternation" among employees as many argue that it is more stringent than other tech companies' return-to-office plans, saying it could negatively impact productivity due to increased commuting times. 

As further reported by Reuters, employees who consistently do not comply with the policy "have been told they will be "voluntarily resigning" and locked out of company computers."

The CEO was quoted as saying: "A number of people I've seen theorised that the reason we were doing this is, it's a backdoor layoff, or we made some sort of deal with city or cities," said Jassy, according to a transcript of the meeting reviewed by Reuters. 

"I can tell you both of those are not true. You know, this was not a cost play for us. This is very much about our culture and strengthening our culture."

The company's decision to mandate a five-day in-office workweek was announced in October, set to take effect on 2 January 2025. Per a previous Reuters article, Jassy explained in a letter to employees that this shift was necessary to "invent, collaborate and be connected". The experience with the previous three-day mandate, Jassy stated, "strengthened our conviction about the benefits" of in-person work.