Amazon employees who defy RTO policies face termination

Amazon has reportedly asked managers to fire employees who do not comply with the current return-to-office policy that the organisation is enforcing.

According to Business Insider, managers have been briefed on the latest guidelines with regardless to employees adhering to the mandate of returning to the office for at least three days. This includes a private conversation with employees who do not follow the mandate, which will be documented in a follow-up email. Should the employee remain non-compliant without a valid reason, follow up meetings will be scheduled, and disciplinary action can be taken, including termination.  

Amazon’s return to office policy has led to more than 30,000 employees signing an internal petition against the policy, with several walking out in protest, and some feeling conflicted has they had been hired with the full understanding of their job roles being fully remote.

Amazon has put their current hybrid work arrangement into place since May of this year, with remote employees being asked to relocate near the closest office hubs to do their jobs in July. Exceptions to this policy can only be made on a case-by-case basis and employees who do not comply or refuse to relocate have been told to resign voluntarily. While employees have been told that they would be only tracked with anonymised data, Amazon is now currently sharing individual attendance records with employees as a way to keep track of their attendance.

READ MORE: Amazon clamps down on employees defying RTO mandate 

An Amazon spokesperson has claimed that they were witnessing “more energy, connection, and collaboration” thanks to most of the employees returning in the office more frequently, with their relocation policy only affecting a small part of the workforce.