Amazon is the latest company to call an end to remote working and return to the pre-pandemic norm of travelling into the office five days a week.
Its return-to-office mandate will come into force from January 2025 and is part of a wider plan to “strengthen” Amazon’s culture. The news was shared with staff via a message from CEO Andy Jassy on Monday.
In it Jassy said: “When we look back over the last five years, we continue to believe that the advantages of being together in the office are significant… it’s easier for our teammates to learn, model, practice and strengthen our culture; collaborating, brainstorming and inventing are simpler and more effective; teaching and learning from one another are more seamless; and teams tend to be better connected to one another.”
There will be a limited number of exceptions to the new rule, for example if someone needs to be at home with a sick child or if they need to “finish coding in a more isolated environment”.
Will other companies copy Amazon‘s return-to-office mandate?
Although several companies, including PwC and Deloitte, have implemented return-to-office policies, Amazon is still in the minority when it comes to asking staff to work from the office full time.
In the US, 69% of companies offer some form of flexibility in their working arrangement, while 31% are in the office full time, according to the latest Flex Index findings. The technology industry remains the most flexible sector, with 96% of tech firms offering staff the ability to work from home at least some of the time.
Given the calibre of companies making these decisions, it’s fair to assume others will follow suit
However, the change in approach from Amazon, which is one of the largest employers in the world, could cause more businesses to review their hybrid policies.
“We’re seeing more and more companies make a stark return to being back in the office five days a week,” says Molly Johnson-Jones, CEO of flexible jobs site Flexa. “Given the calibre of companies making these decisions, such as Amazon, it’s fair to assume others will follow suit.”
Employees at Manchester United Football Club, THG and Boots have all been asked to resume working from the office on a full-time basis in recent months. A number of banks, including Citigroup, HSBC and Barclays, are also asking more staffers to be present in the office five days per week.
However, Gemma Dale, a senior lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University who is currently researching flexible and remote work, is unsure of whether this is indicative of a wider trend.
“Since the beginning of the so-called work-from-home experiment, there have been organisations that have been against continued remote work and have sought to return to a largely in-person model,” she says.
In Dale’s opinion, the progress made towards acceptance of flexible work is “fragile” and there remains “stigma and bias” towards those who want to work flexibly.
The drawbacks of a five-day office mandate
Dale believes Amazon is “taking a risk” in asking its staff to return to the office full time and could find it challenging to attract and retain talent in the future.
“Unfortunately, such decisions often seem to be based on the views, values and personal preferences of leaders, as opposed to being based on evidence and data,” she adds. “There is emerging research that return-to-office mandates are damaging.”
Employees who spend two days a week working from home are just as productive, and are less likely to quit, than those reporting to the office full time, according to research led by Stanford University professor Nicholas Bloom.
There is emerging research that return-to-office mandates are damaging
Transitioning to a fully in-office working arrangement can also have consequences for companies’ ability to hire diverse talent. Less than 10% of women, those from ethnic minorities, people in the LGBTQ+ community and people who identify as having a disability or condition have an interest in working full time in the office, according to research from Flexa.
“Companies considering return-to-office mandates need to be ready to communicate what this means about their culture and why they are making the change,” Johnson-Jones says. “Particularly to employees who have made significant life changes, such as moving away from the office, within the boundaries of their current working set-up.”
And not all tech companies are rushing to follow Amazon‘s lead. Spotify, for example, operates a work-from-anywhere policy, asking only that teams meet in person for one week each year.
Despite some concerns that remote working has affected collaboration, creativity and innovation, Spotify CHRO Katarina Berg remains committed to a flexible working arrangement. “Work is not a place you come to, it’s something you do,” she says. “If we are a digital organisation from birth, shouldn’t we give people flexibility and freedom?”
What’s next for the hybrid work era?
While it is unlikely that we will see major changes in the short term, in the future we may well see the in-office trend line creep upwards. That’s according to Scott Walker, CEO of HR data and analytics provider Brightmine.
“Over time, we will see a greater increase in people coming into the office as companies gradually transition from fully remote to a hybrid model, while some organisations may choose to go back full time,” he says.
However, it remains important to give staff some flexibility, particularly due to the benefits it can have for work/life balance and employee mental health, Walker adds.
The UK government’s new employment rights bill, which is anticipated to be published next month, could also strengthen employees’ hand in this matter by making flexible working a day-one right.
Businesses that remain committed to returning to a five-day in-office model can feel reassured that there will be employees who also prefer this working arrangement, says Johnson-Jones. To make the transition as successful as possible, she advises: “Shout about all the brilliant benefits that being together in person brings to your company and let those who are aligned with your way of working find you.”
