'Demoralized' Amazon Workers Demand Data, Not Anecdotes, Supporting Return-to-Office Policy

Amazon held an all-hands meeting where Adam Selipsky, head of Amazon's cloud computing business, "wouldn't give employees any data to back up the decision to require workers to come back to the office," reports the Seattle Times. "But he did have some stories to share, according to an Amazon Web Services employee who attended the all-hands meeting," with one anecdote highlighting "the serendipity" that can happen with a return to the office.For some Amazon employees, "serendipity" isn't enough. Workers who have asked the company to share data have been provided anecdotes and a consistent trope that innovation is more likely to happen in person. That has left some workers feeling demoralized, distracted and undervalued as they struggle to stay focused and motivated, according to interviews and internal communications shared with The Times. An Amazon manager, who is based on the East Coast and asked to speak anonymously to protect their job, said it is "dehumanizing," and feels as if leadership doesn't trust its employees to understand their reasoning. In Slack messages, employees anonymously posted that Amazon's decisions were "dystopian" and creating "just a horrible situation...." The company declined requests from The Times to share any data points that factored into its decision to change the remote work policy. Amazon workers have been asking the company for more information since it announced the change in February. The mandate went into effect in May... Mike Hopkins, senior vice president at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, told employees at another all-hands meeting that the return to office is working, according to a copy of his remarks Amazon shared with The Times. "I don't have data to back it up, but I know it's better...." The East Coast-based manager said they've been less productive since returning to the office. Without any cubicles or assigned workspaces, there is no privacy, they said. Anyone can overhear your phone call or peek at your monitor... Amazon contends the return has gone well, both for workers and the communities where it operates. In Seattle, Amazon's return to its South Lake Union campus has led to an 82% increase in foot traffic between May and July and an 86% increase in credit card transactions at restaurants in the neighborhood, according to data shared from Amazon. "Some employees welcomed the return to office mandate, and told The Times they were looking forward to seeing co-workers in person, solidifying a distinction between work and home, and drumming up business for the shops and restaurants around Amazon's campus."

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