Amazon Indicates Employees Can Quit If They Don't Like Its Return-to-Office Mandate
- Reference: 0175275337
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/24/10/18/0359229/amazon-indicates-employees-can-quit-if-they-dont-like-its-return-to-office-mandate
- Source link:
> The Amazon executive recently told employees who don't like the new five-day in-person work policy that, " [1]there are other companies around ," presumably companies they can work for remotely, Reuters reported on Thursday. Amazon's top boss, Andy Jassy, told employees last month that there will be [2]a full return-to-office starting in 2025 , an increase from three days for roughly the last year.
[1] https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/17/amazon-indicates-employees-can-quit-if-they-dont-like-its-return-to-office-mandate/
[2] https://slashdot.org/story/24/09/16/1845223/amazon-ceo-tells-employees-to-return-to-office-five-days-a-week
But ... (Score:2)
> Amazon Employees Can Quit If They Don't Like Its Return-to-Office Mandate
They can't quit for other reasons; nope, they're stuck there, until either they die or get fired -- by a bot, probably for some arbitrary reason, like needing to go to the bathroom or being in the bottom 10% at review time.
Re: We need a fight club moment (Score:2)
Mmmmm... I'm gonna need you to come in on Saturday... That would be just greeeeeeat....
worker protection is not defended. (Score:2)
A group of Amazon workers need to kidnap this Garman guy, drag him into the bathroom, threaten to cut his balls off bec
This kind of stuff happens in France.
In USA, worker protection is not defended. There is not much remaining.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Less violent to just form a union. That's what they are for.
Re: (Score:2)
> Less violent to just form a union.
Not for those forming the union. I'm sure the means have changed whilst the ends remain the same.
Pretty sure... (Score:3)
Pretty sure employees always had the ability to quit for any reason they like...
Re: (Score:2)
Indeed, but this is more quiet firing as working conditions are eroding to the point that you'd rather not be there.
Easier in US to make people quit than sack them and pay the benefits isn't it?
Re: (Score:2)
> "Indeed, but this is more quiet firing as working conditions are eroding to the point that you'd rather not be there."
You realize you are equating actually going to work as some horrible "working conditions eroding". Sounds a bit extreme. Just a minute ago, it was a given that people would go to work each day. I do. Countless millions do. Boo hoo :)
> "Easier in US to make people quit than sack them and pay the benefits isn't it?"
Again, it is not like they are being asked to do something bad, stra
Re: (Score:2)
> [...] it is not like they are being asked to do something bad, strange, unusual, radical, or unexpected.
Disclaimer: I don't work for Amazon, but for another company with a Return-to-Office policy. But in my case, the company does aks for something strange, unusual, radical and unexpected. In the last five years, but especially during the Corona pandemic, the company was systematically closing down sites. Now, the nearest site to my home is 300 miles away. The company now is asking me to travel 600 miles a day or pay for four accommodations per week close to their office. And to add insult to injury, I work wi
Be careful what you ask for (Score:5, Insightful)
In my experience those who opt to quit are often the best worker bees.
Re: (Score:2)
I actually quit some years ago because of a return to office mandate. Not suggesting I'm the best worker bee, but I had options and didn't have any difficulty finding another job. The market was pretty good then, but I haven't looked lately.
I made it very clear to my new employer that I wouldn't be in the office more than a few times a years, and as it worked out I've been there even less than that. I live about 3 hours from the office anyway.
Meanwhile I see there are companies still struggling to hire peop
considering this is what they wanted... (Score:5, Interesting)
considering this is what they wanted, for head count to drop.
What i find weird though at how transparent they have become with this, is that apparently all of these companies don't see a difference between any employee... .. that every employee is a just a cog in the machine. If they saw value in employee performance, they would take steps to ensure staff are happy, and the best staff are retained.
When you show staff the door... the first ones to leave, are your best performers... they know their worth, and will get another job in short order. The ones remaining, are likely to be too apathetic or unqualified to find another job, so they stick with it. Just the crowd you want driving innovation at your organization.
But also... thanks guy, for letting the staff know they can leave... they didn't know it before and thought they were serfs for life. The effin ego on these tards.
Re: considering this is what they wanted... (Score:3)
Depending on the role, your best performers may not even need to find another job. Certain parts of aws, meta, google and apple are paid fuck-you money⦠if they leave hcol areas.
Re: (Score:2)
People who get paid fuck you money typically have fuck you debt. Sure you would think you could retire with your current lifestyle if you got paid $500k / yeah, but you wouldn't have your current lifestyle. You wouldn't be making repayments on a $600k house, you'd be making repayments on a $5m house. You wouldn't be driving a Ford, you'd be driving a Porsche, etc. Your cleaner won't be working for free, etc.
People who earn a lot tend to not actually have significantly higher savings than the average middle
Of course they want you to quit... (Score:3)
Then they don't have to pay you severance (in the case of layoff) or unemployment (for termination).
I have to ask though... are they so desperate not to layoff the managers that need to look busy that they're willing to fire the people who actually get the day to day work done in order to get bodies in the door? Are the VCs and investment banks that desperate to see Amazon packing bodies in buildings, and clogging up highways and roads with cars that they're essentially imposing these policies through Amazon C-suite management, or is this all some genius idea by the latest rotating cadres of VPs desperate to put accomplishments on their resume for when they jump to their next job?
Seriously, it's kind of stupid to force you to show up into the office when it is highly likely that a large portion of your team and/or your clientele are not in the same location. That is, unless everybody has an office to take remote conferences in, and there are sufficient conference rooms for when you want to get multiple members of the same team in the same room?
I've been in the hell that is doing a engineering team conference when you're colocated in an open plan office with both the sales and customer service people, and accounting in the corner... and they're all on individual calls the entire day.
Re: (Score:2)
It could be any number of those things, though none of us will ever know how productive is the work-from-home crowd at Amazon. Maybe they're all doing a great job as remote workers. Or... maybe not.
Re: (Score:2)
This is about quiet firing
Re: (Score:2)
Problem is actually quite well established at this point, and it's the good old 20/80 rule at work.
About 20% of people working remotely are more efficient that they are in busy office. These could be allowed to work remotely. But...
About 80% of people working remotely are far less efficient that they are in busy office. I'm not sure if causal relationship has been proven in any fashion yet, as issue is still fairly new. But correlation is established well beyond a reasonable doubt at this point.
Separating o
Digital Coal Mine (Score:2)
The more I read these headlines it feels like Amazon is becoming a lot like the coal mines from West Virginia for days past...
Re: (Score:2)
Sixteen tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt... And I owe my soul to the company store!
Re: (Score:2)
And this is what we've come to. I'm not a fan of commuting to work so I can 'look busy' all the time but sitting in a comfy air conditioned office and drinking bottled water while sometimes needing a reminder you should stand up every 15-30mins is NOT comparable to working 18hr shifts getting black lung in a coal mine.
huh (Score:2)
Ironic, as I got a solicitation for a job at Amazon.
I blocked them.
Re: (Score:2)
> Ironic, as I got a solicitation for a job at Amazon.
> I blocked them.
Before you blocked them, you should've told them you were doing it - and why.
I've heard of 'server huggers'... (Score:2)
You know the bosses that just have to see the servers? Sounds like they hate the idea they can't scrutinize and control every movement.
But that's opinion, and as geeks, we deal in facts, correct? (ha ha!)
So where are the KPI's that show in office versus out of office? I'm not talking about "Buy your results" like J.D. Powell, I mean real evidence based metrics.
Yes, I've seen those that show profitability is up with in office. Look below the fold and they are using smoke and mirrors on office space costs tha
Return-to-office is just about power. (Score:2)
Big Business isn't ultimately about money, it's someone's means to power. And forcing other people to physically attend to them is the tangible expression of that.
its all up hill from here (Score:3)
[1]https://automattic.com/work-wi... [automattic.com]
[1] https://automattic.com/work-with-us/
Re: (Score:2)
'Whew, no more H1B quotas to worry about!'
Re: (Score:2)
It's named Automatic 'cause youngsters can't work a stick-shift ... :-)