Amazon is now giving managers leeway to effectively fire employees who fail to meet the company’s three-times-a-week, return-to-office mandate.
That’s according to updated global manager guidance on Amazon’s return-to-office policy obtained by Insider. Amazon shared the guidelines and manager talking points through an internal portal earlier this week.
The guidelines tell managers to first hold a private conversation with employees who don’t comply with the three-times-a-week requirement. Then, managers have to document the discussion in a follow-up email. If the employee continues to refuse to come in, the manager should hold another meeting, and if needed, take disciplinary action that includes a termination of employment.
“If the employee does not demonstrate immediate and sustained attendance after the first conversation, managers should then conduct a follow-up discussion within a reasonable time frame (depending on the employee situation, ~1-2 weeks). This conversation will 1) reinforce that return to office 3+ days a week is a requirement of their job, and 2) explain that continued non-compliance without a legitimate reason may lead to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of your employment,” the guidelines said.
Giving managers the ability to fire employees for non-compliance is the strongest measure Amazon has taken over its return-to-office policy.
First announced in February, Amazon’s return-to-office process has been unusually contentious, with over 30,000 employees signing an internal petition and many others walking out earlier this year in opposition to it. Employees have expressed frustration because they were hired as fully remote workers during the pandemic, and they see the current mandate as a shift from the previous policy that allowed individual leaders to determine how their teams worked.
In February, Amazon said that corporate employees would have to come into the office at least three times a week starting in May. In July, the company doubled down by telling remote employees to relocate near office “hubs” where most of their team members are. Those who refused to relocate or find another team that accommodated their needs were told to take a “voluntary resignation” package. By September, Amazon was sharing individual attendance records with employees, a shift from the previous policy of only tracking anonymized data.
In August, Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy warned employees that it’s “not going to work out” for those pushing back against the current office attendance mandate. Confusion only grew when a top Amazon cloud executive told his team last month that he expected the return-to-office process to take up to three years to complete.
In an email to Insider, Amazon’s spokesperson, Rob Munoz, said the company is seeing “more energy, connection, and collaboration” with the vast majority of employees in the office more frequently. Amazon’s relocation policy is affecting a “relatively small percentage of our team” and exceptions to the return-to-office mandate will be made on a “case-by-case basis,” he added.
“As is the case with any of our policies, we expect our team to follow them and will take appropriate action if someone chooses not to do that,” Munoz said in a statement.
Amazon’s scripted talking points for managers
In the guidelines, Amazon encourages managers to “assume positive intent” and “make high-judgment decisions” regarding individual situations, such as ascertaining if employees have missed attendance requirements because they are on paid time off or at home due to an illness. Before each meeting, managers are told to “be prepared” by reviewing the employee’s badge data and practicing what they want to say ahead of time.
The guidelines also provide basic talking points for managers that reiterate many of the company’s public statements regarding return-to-office. Managers should emphasize working together in the same location “supports individual growth and development” and employees are “much more likely to understand our unique culture” when doing so. Before asking why an employee is failing to come into the office regularly, managers should say “this can be an adjustment” and that they “want to understand your circumstances.”
Managers are asked to follow a three-step process when dealing with an employee not meeting the return-to-office requirements, according to the guidelines. The first step is a private conversation with the employee where managers “seek understanding and documentation.”
If the non-compliance continues, managers should conduct follow-up discussions within a couple weeks, where they have to reinforce the three-times-a-week attendance policy and explain possible disciplinary action that includes “termination of your employment.” The last step is to engage a human resources representative who may deliver the employee a written warning or other actions, which may “ultimately conclude in termination of employment.”
Amazon also shared the following sample documentation template for managers to use when initiating follow-up meetings with employees who refuse to come into the office regularly. Managers in non-US countries are told to consult with their HR partner “as the template will vary by country.”
[Employee Name], I’m following up with you after our return-to-office conversation on [INSERT DATE]. I want to ensure the expectations and next steps are clear. During our discussion, I sought to understand if there are any particular challenges you are experiencing that are keeping you from returning to the office at least three days a week. Based on our discussion, it is my understanding there are not. Instead, [CHOOSE either a or b: a) you have not complied with Amazon’s return to office expectations since our last conversation; b) you have made clear that you do not intend to adhere to Amazon’s return-to-office expectations.] As we discussed, returning to the office at least three days a week is in the best interest of our customers, our company, and our team members. If you do not adhere to this expectation within two weeks [by INSERT DATE FOR THE FRIDAY TWO WEEKS IN THE FUTURE], you will receive formal corrective action. After that time, if you do not meet and maintain sustained compliance with returning to the office at least three days a week, you will be subject to further discipline, up to and including termination of your employment. If you have any questions or would prefer to work together on solutions that enable you to meet Amazon’s return-to-office expectations, please let me know as soon as possible. We’ll meet again after two weeks to discuss your progress. [Manager Name]
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