Big tech gets hardline on return to office

Amazon rejects employees petition to retain flexible working, while Apple is reportedly tracking staff who fail to check in thee times a week

Amazon has rejected a petition by 30,000 employees to retain flexible working.

The petition was sent to the office of CEO Andy Jassy after he insisted that employees come into the office for a minimum of three days per week starting 1st May.

"It's easier to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture when we're in the office together most of the time and surrounded by our colleagues. It's especially true for new people… but it's also true for people of all tenures at Amazon," Jassy said in his memo to nearly 1.6 million Amazon staff.

In the petition, 30,000 Amazon employees - almost 10% of its office-based workforce - stated that working from home is beneficial for reasons including work-life balance, affordable housing, inclusion, saved commuting time, childcare and environmental factors, and cited an internal survey that found a preference for remote and flexible work within the company's workforce.

However, in a letter seen by Business Insider, Amazon SVP of people experience and technology, Beth Galetti, insisted the return to office (RTO) policy would remain.

"Given the large size of our workforce and our wide range of businesses and customers, we recognize this transition may take time, but we are confident it will result in long-term benefits to increasing our ability to deliver for our customers, bolstering our culture, and growing and developing employees.," she wrote on Wednesday.

In January, Amazon cut 18,000 jobs and announced a further round of 9,000 layoffs this week. Employees within the company were hoping for a compromise, and the fact the company has refused to budge suggests management feel the momentum is with them, with many alternative employers also cutting staff. The company is also well known for its anti-union stance, and backing down to an organised action by employees is something it would be keen to avoid.

Apple and Twitter are also standing firm on RTO, according to Platformer journalist Zoë Schiffer.

"Apple is tracking employee attendance (via badge records) and will give employees escalating warnings if they don't come in 3x per week," she tweeted. "ALSO: Elon Musk sent Twitter employees an email at 2:30am saying the 'office is not optional' and noting SF was half empty yesterday."