505
Amazon CEO tells staff to work in office three days a week or look for another job
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2023
505 points (98.8% liked)
Technology
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At least this CEO is not as prehistoric as Zoom one lol.
Anyways, if i worked for Amazon I would be looking for another job ASAP, i value my time a lot.
I love how covid is growing and we are still with this back to the office bullshit.
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I'm actually glad the veil has lifted and the owners are no longer trying to obfuscate their sociopathy behind jargon and buzz terms. They feel they've gained enough hard power to finally say what they mean: dance like good little wage slaves, or we'll throw you away.
Maybe some of these true believers who always thought they were one of the owner class's favorite little wage slaves will finally understand what they are under this rigged economy: expendable livestock.
Probably not most, but if we can chip away at any of the self-hating house peasants that defend their masters against their own interests, that's progress. The owners are the common enemy, and they are small in numbers, but they maintain power though their army of true believer deluded suckers dumb enough to believe their doting service will get them into the little club one day.
Without that legion of sucker peasants, the owners become vulnerable. Keep antagonizing your livestock, Assholes. Fuck around out of ego and find out, pretty please.
sigh
CEOs, I can assure you that the people who aren’t doing work from home aren’t doing any more work in person.
And what really sucks is this just the beginning. Soon enough, they’ll all demand everybody work in-person 5 days a week for the same supposed reasons.
The work-supervision to prevent slackers thing is only part of the problem, and pretty small.
The biggest issue is the huge amount of money these companies pay for real estate, and how much the commercial real estate market means to the overall economy.
All of this is just sabre-rattling in an attempt to return to the pre-covid status quo, while these companies will soon be shedding their corporate office spaces to reduce their operating costs.
The work-supervision to prevent slackers thing is only part of the problem, and pretty small.
If finding out if your employee is productive requires you staring at them all day then you're already a poor manager. An employee can be pounding on a keyboard all day looking productive and producing nothing, but thats the limit of the "butts in seats" method of management oversight. How about create KPIs that you can measure the actual output of an employee. Give them autonomy to get their job done with the resources they need with the time they need in whatever way works best for that employee. Create an environment that is most suited to that employee's ideal productive conditions. Each employee is different. Why are you treating them all the same? For some that maybe an office they commute to everyday, or many others its in their own home where they are comfortable and not being distracted by wandering co-workers.
Creating conditions that the employee likes not only increase productivity, but also employee retention. Employee turnover is very expensive to an organization, and losing top talent even more so. Management needs to check their ego at the door, and do what is best for their employee's needs. That is how you get the best employees, keep them, and get the most productivity out of them. Oh, also pay them more than your competitors will! Its not rocket science.
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Go fuck yourself, Andy Jassy. I hope your name becomes as reviled as the scumbag you succeeded.
Textbook example of "the rules are for thee, not for me".
or look for another job
A threat.
Therefore hostile termination.
Therefore severance.
Amazon CEO is a dumbass and literally just lost this fight.
I doubt it's not carefully worded in corporate speak. It's much more likely just The Guardian's sensationalism. Amazon have an army of HR people; they wouldn't make such basic mistakes.
Mandatory arbitration says that there is no fight. Laws simply don't apply to companies anymore when you can't try your case in a real courtroom.
Yeah, if I worked for Amazon, I'd say, "no. Now fire me, assholes. Go ahead."
What exactly is the threat?
If I read the article correctly, the CEO's statement is effectively saying that employees who refuse to work according to the companies policy, may be fired.
While I agree that it is bad policy, I don't see how this is unlawful policy, nor do I see how enforcing the policy is a threat.
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Man, can you imagine what it must be like to be a recruiter for Amazon?
I def can. No one is hiring this is a layoff. If you're a recruiter and still there you're keeping your mouth shut, pretending to work in something and showing up threevdays a week
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Why do any of these people continue to work there under such deplorable conditions? I understand the warehouse workers dont have other opportunities and for many its the only employer where they live. But damn, Amazon treats its tech workers like shit and continues to make bad decisions day after day that only benefit those at the top.
Lots of money
With mortgages to match.
The great modern cheat to ensure slaves don't rise against the rulers.
I used to work there and the money is amazing when the stock is rising. Since the stock stopped rising at the extreme rate that it was, it’s now just comparable to other tech orgs.
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I personally know 3 different people who worked at the Amazon corporate headquarters in office jobs. All three came out mentally and emotionally broken and defeated after just a few years. Some office employees get signing bonuses deferred and payed out only if they survive some number of years. They internally refer to it as getting their 'golden handcuffs' unshackled. One of the three people made it to then and quit...the other two quit after the first year. Amazon is a grinder of human meat, and it looks like they're getting back into the business of grinding with this new policy.
Everyone remembers the peeing in bottles part of Amazon's model but the way they turn through office staff is less talked about. Amazon's business model is based on crushing their employees no matter their department, job type, or level.
Man, we really need better labor laws.
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Online companies: you can do everything on the internet!
Also, online companies: except working.
All of FAANG and most big companies are forcing this hoping people won't have anywhere to go.
Basically a free gift to smaller competitors. If you've got desirable skills then you can be selective. Smaller companies offering remote work are more desirable, and saving on rent, utilities etc. means you have more to offer in terms of wages and benefits.
Sort of?
The big tech companies often pay workers well outside the bands of other firms, particularly when you factor in the equity portion of compensation.
We’re interviewing a Googler right now and they’re going to knowingly take a pay cut to join a company that’s fully remote.
Likely this persons’ move isn’t only about it being remote but also that they’d have more agency in a smaller org.
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I was forced back in June 2020. It’d kill for 2 days home a week 😭
You'd kill for it, yes, but would you update your resume for it? When was the last time you sent out your resume?
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This is the best summary I could come up with:
Amazon’s CEO has told workers “it’s probably not going to work out” for them at the tech company unless they are prepared to come into the office at least three days a week.
Through an announcement on the company’s blog, Jessy said the leadership team had decided that it was better for Amazon’s culture and easier to learn from each other and collaborate more effectively when they are in office together.
The petition read: “Amazon’s top-down, one-size-fits-all RTO [return to office] mandate undermines the diverse, accessible future that we want to be a part of.”
The walkout was a protest against the company’s slow progress on climate goals and the return to office mandate.
This month, some Amazon workers in the US reported being tracked and penalised for not spending sufficient time in the company’s offices, an email sent to employees revealed.
The emails received by employees noted that staff members were “not currently meeting our expectation of joining your colleagues in the office at least three days a week”, according to the Financial Times.
The original article contains 404 words, the summary contains 175 words. Saved 57%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
Right in the midst of a COVID surge. Brilliant CEO they have there.
Sounds great. This mens they can stay home to look for a new job?