Amazon employees remain divided over return-to-office policy

750 Amazon employees have created a Slack channel called Think Big to support CEO Andy Jassy’s decision for most employees to return to the office at least three times a week, starting in May 2023.

According to this group of employees, in-person collaboration fosters a strong workplace culture and that a hybrid work model is more productive than fully remote work. Some members of the group also expressed excitement at the prospect of returning to the office, stating that they miss seeing their co-workers, while also suggesting a four-day workweek.

The creation of the Slack channel is also believed to be in response to a bigger group of about 28,000 employees who have rejected Jassy’s call by creating an Slack channel called Remote Advocacy, saying remote work offers more flexibility and benefits than in-office work.

READ: Amazon seeks new ways of working by ending WFH

It would appear that momentum for the Remote Advocacy cause is growing, with an internal poll conducted by the Slack channel showing that a majority (80%) of the respondents would look for a new job if the new hybrid policy goes through, citing issues such as having to make a long commute after moving away during the remote-work era and predicting that things would be chaotic at Amazon as plans are implemented, reported Fortune.