Amazon to fire employees who do not come to the office thrice a week

Amazon is reportedly cracking down on its return-to-office policy, allowing managers to potentially fire employees who don't meet the three-times-a-week office attendance requirement. The strict move comes as Amazon aims to enforce its return-to-office policy more rigorously. Here's everything we know about it.

According to reports from Insider, Amazon has updated its global guide for managers regarding the return to office policy. The guidelines, distributed through an internal portal, instruct managers on dealing with employees who do not comply with the mandate to work three days a week in the office. The cited source has reported that Amazon is "giving managers leeway to effectively fire employees who do not comply with the company's three-times-weekly return-to-the-office mandate."

The new policy does not require immediate termination for noncompliance. Instead, managers are instructed to follow a three-step process. In the first step, they should have a private conversation with non-compliant employees and document it in a follow-up email. If noncompliance persists and the employee refuses to return to the office, a second meeting must be held within a reasonable time frame, typically one to two weeks. During this meeting, managers are instructed to emphasize the job requirement to return to the office at least three days a week and warn that continued noncompliance without legitimate reason may result in disciplinary action, including termination.

The final step involves a human resources representative who can issue a written warning or take other actions, ultimately leading to termination if noncompliance persists. This is the most essential step Amazon has taken to ensure compliance with its return to office policy.

Amazon's return-to-office policy initially required corporate employees to come to the office at least three times a week starting in May, a policy that was further reinforced in July when remote employees were told to move. near office "centres." Those who refused to relocate were offered a "voluntary resignation" package. In September, Amazon began sharing individual attendance records with employees, a change from its previous policy of tracking anonymized data. This strict new stance underscores Amazon's commitment to returning employees to the office, aligning with its broader return to work strategy.