Amazon to require all employees to work in office next year

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy told employees on Monday that the company would be returning to pre-COVID conditions next year, where employees will primarily be expected to work in the office five days a week.

Amazon currently requires its employees to work in the office three days a week, and remotely two days a week, a policy that has been in place since last year. Prior to the three-day in-office requirement, employees were allowed to choose where they worked from.

Jassy said the new work requirement will go into effect on Jan. 2, 2025. But exceptions will be allowed if approved by an employee's supervisor. Exceptions include sickness, disabilities, emergencies, and employees who go on the road to meet customers.

“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 in a memo that was published online. “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.”

The CEO noted that some of the benefits to in-office work include better collaboration, teamwork, and communication. He also said it would help strengthen the culture at Amazon.

"Having the right culture at Amazon is something I don’t take for granted. I continue to believe that we are all here because we want to make a difference in customers’ lives, invent on their behalf, and move quickly to solve their problems," he wrote. "I’m optimistic that these changes will better help us accomplish these goals while strengthening our culture and the effectiveness of our teams."

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.