Amazon employees must now work in-office full time

Amazon is set to return to a full five-day workweek in the office starting January 2, 2025, marking a significant shift back to pre-pandemic norms. In a memo sent to employees, CEO Andy Jassy made it clear that the company is moving away from the hybrid model that allowed staff to work from home two days a week since May 2023.

“We’ve decided that we’re going to return to being in the office the way we were before the onset of COVID,” Jassy wrote. For a company like Amazon, this decision is about solidifying a belief in the power of in-person collaboration.

“If anything, the last 15 months we’ve been back in the office at least three days a week has strengthened our conviction about the benefits,” Jassy added. His message suggests that Amazon leadership has been observing and evaluating the effects of its hybrid model and has concluded that the benefits of being physically present in the office outweigh the flexibility of remote work.

The case for in-office work

Jassy’s memo implies that the company has gathered enough data over the past 15 months to reaffirm its commitment to in-office collaboration. While many companies have embraced hybrid or fully remote work models since the pandemic, Amazon is heading in a different direction. For them, the office environment is better communication, collaboration, and productivity—key factors for maintaining Amazon’s operational efficiency and innovation-driven culture.

This decision aligns with a growing trend among large companies to reverse course on remote work. While many employees have embraced the flexibility and work-life balance that comes with remote setups, companies like Amazon are emphasizing the long-term benefits of office culture.

This decision aligns with a growing trend among large companies to reverse course on remote work (Image credit)

However, Jassy did acknowledge that certain circumstances would still allow for some flexibility. Employees will have the leeway to work from home in the case of emergencies, such as caring for a sick child. And employees with an approved exception will be able to remain remote, although Jassy makes it clear that remote work won’t be the norm. “Before the pandemic, it was not a given that folks could work remotely two days a week, and that will also be true moving forward,” he noted, suggesting that Amazon is returning to its original expectations regarding where and how work gets done.

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Cutting off managers

By the end of Q1 2025, Amazon plans to increase the ratio of individual contributors to managers by at least 15 percent. This means the company intends to have fewer managers overseeing a larger number of employees, which Jassy suggests will lead to a more efficient and less hierarchical organization. “Having fewer managers will remove layers and flatten organizations more than they are today,” he explained.

The mention of this restructuring effort raises some important questions. While Jassy didn’t directly mention layoffs, his language suggests that some employees, particularly managers, may be impacted by these changes. “We will do this thoughtfully,” Jassy reassured, though the exact details of how this change will be implemented remain unclear.

This flattening of the managerial structure also signals a broader trend in corporate America where companies are reevaluating the need for multiple layers of management. For Amazon, this could mean a renewed focus on empowering individual employees, giving them more responsibility, and allowing teams to operate with greater autonomy.

Featured image credit: Amazon