Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tech

Amazon tells staff to get back to the office five days a week

Amazon has told its office workers they may no longer work from home except in extenuating circumstances.

It comes as Jonathan Reynolds, the UK’s business secretary, said flexible working contributes to productivity, employee resilience, and staff retention.

Money blog: Is now a good time to buy an iPhone?

Workers need to be judged on outcomes and “not a culture of presenteeism”, Mr Reynolds told The Times.

What’s Amazon doing?

Amazon has described the policy change as returning to the way it worked before the COVID-19 pandemic – being in the office five days a week except for special circumstances.

A letter from Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy said those situations included when staff or their children were sick, house emergencies, travelling for work or coding “in a more isolated environment”.

Some staff who had been given exceptional permission to work remotely will remain able to do so.

The changes will take effect on 2 January next year as Mr Jassy said the company understands staff have “set up their personal lives in such a way that returning to the office consistently five days per week will require some adjustments”.

Why the change?

Amazon believes being in the office is better for business.

Looking back on five years of hybrid working from home (WFH) and in the office Mr Jassy said “the advantages of being together in the office are significant”.

Learning, working together, generating ideas and strengthening company culture is “simpler and more effective” in the office, while teaching is more seamless and teams are better connected, he said.

“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,” he added.

Is WFH here to stay?

The UK government, however, is attempting to facilitate remote work for more people.

It’s already trailed plans to extend the right to request remote and flexible working from the first day of employment.

“There are real economic benefits to be had from the UK adopting this approach,” Mr Reynolds told The Times, adding that remote working could also contribute to levelling up.

“The UK has very significant regional inequality. It could play a significant contribution to tackling that,” he said.

He did concede there are situations when it is “legitimate to need the workforce in the office”, such as when new staff need to learn from those more experienced.

This post appeared first on sky.com

    You May Also Like

    Stocks

    In this episode of StockCharts TV‘s The MEM Edge, Mary Ellen reviews what’s shaping up in the broader markets after the Fed announced their rate cut...

    Tech

    Meta has lowered the minimum age to use the popular messaging platform WhatsApp. The move, which came into effect on Thursday, reduces the age...

    Tech

    Astronomers have discovered the Milky Way’s “most massive” stellar black hole yet. The newly discovered black hole is 33 times bigger than the sun...

    Business

    Stocks sold off Friday as inflation and geopolitical worries once again dented investor sentiment on Wall Street. A broad decline in major bank shares...

    Disclaimer: globalwashingtonwebinar.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2024 globalwashingtonwebinar.com | All Rights Reserved