One of Amazon’s top executives defended the company’s new, contentious policy requiring employees to work in the office five days a week.
During an all-hands meeting for AWS, CEO Matt Garman stated that the majority of employees he has spoken with—nine out of ten—support the policy set to begin in January.
He suggested that those who disagree are free to leave the company, saying, “If there are people who just don’t work well in that environment… there are other companies around.”
Garman emphasized the need for in-person collaboration to foster innovation, stating that the ability to innovate diminishes without face-to-face interaction.
The new policy has sparked discontent among many Amazon employees, who argue that commuting is a waste of time and that independent data does not support the claimed benefits of office work.
Currently, Amazon has a three-day in-office requirement, but CEO Andy Jassy announced last month the shift to a full five-day schedule to enhance collaboration and connectivity.
Some employees who resisted the transition found themselves locked out of company systems and were effectively told they had “voluntarily resigned.”
Unlike many tech companies like Google, Meta, and Microsoft, which have adopted more flexible two- to three-day in-office policies, Amazon has taken a firmer stance on returning to the workplace.
Garman expressed enthusiasm for the new policy, acknowledging that not everyone shares his excitement, but he believes that achieving the company’s objectives is too challenging with the existing three-day requirement. He noted that the previous policy hindered teamwork and knowledge sharing.
Garman also remarked on how the company’s leadership principles, which guide operations, are difficult to embrace remotely.
He specifically mentioned the principle of “disagree and commit,” highlighting that discussing disagreements through the company’s internal communication tool, Chime, is challenging.
