Tens of thousands of Amazon workers return to in-person work in Washington
Monday marked the first day back on the job in person for 50,000 Amazon workers in Seattle.
The employees' return to work was expected to impact traffic in the city after many turned to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearby Bellevue is also preparing to welcome back 12,000 Amazon workers to the offices there, FOX 13 reported.
The return-to-work mandate was announced last September by CEO Andy Jassy, who linked the new five-day requirement to Amazon’s effort to be "better set up to invent, collaborate, and be connected enough to each other and our culture to deliver the absolute best for customers and the business."
The tech giant had previously transitioned from remote work to a mandated three days a week in-office in May of last year, and implemented some other changes.
AMAZON EMPLOYEES SEND ANGRY LETTER ON RETURN-TO-OFFICE POLICY; MANAGEMENT STANDS FIRM
The month after the full-time in-office announcement was made, over 500 Amazon employees sent a letter to Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Matt Garman, urging a reversal of the mandate and challenging his recent statement that the policy has "broad support" among staff.
The letter included personal stories from a dozen employees, who cited family obligations, medical needs and extensive commute times as barriers to adhering to the policy. One worker reported a four-hour commute to the nearest office, while another noted that his spouse would need to leave her job if they were to relocate.
AMAZON TO EMPLOYEES: IN-PERSON, 5-DAY WORK WEEK BEGINS NEXT YEAR
Many employees argued that remote work has been productive and that commuting adds unnecessary time and expense. Amazon has been enforcing the policy by requiring employees to either report to regional offices, relocate to Seattle or "voluntarily resign" if they cannot comply.
Amazon indicated to FOX Business that the company understands this may be a transition for some employees, which is why they are sharing this guidance well before it expects employees to work from the office.
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Additionally, Amazon says they are offering "a number of resources" to employees depending ontlocation, which includes access to elder care options and pet sitters.
Amazon also said in a statement that they can also provide employees with funded or reimbursable public transportation, free commuter shuttles, subsidized monthly parking rates and several more sustainable commute assistance options.
FOX Business' Jasmine Baehr and Aislinn Murphy contributed to this report.