As the tech world continues to grapple with the future of work, Amazon has drawn a clear line in the sand regarding remote work. AWS CEO Matt Garman recently made headlines with his blunt message to employees: if you don’t like the new five-day in-office policy, it might be time to find another company. This move comes amidst growing tensions between Amazon leadership and its workforce, many of whom have enjoyed the flexibility of remote or hybrid work during the pandemic.
At a recent all-hands meeting, Garman defended Amazon’s shift to a stricter office policy, claiming that in-person collaboration is vital for innovation and growth. “When we want to really, really innovate on interesting products, I have not seen an ability for us to do that when we’re not in-person,” he explained. The new mandate, which will take effect in January 2025, marks a departure from Amazon’s current three-day-a-week office policy.
Garman’s comments come as Amazon faces increasing pushback from employees who argue that the in-office requirement adds unnecessary commuting time and doesn’t align with studies suggesting that remote work can be just as productive, if not more so, than traditional office settings. Despite this, Garman emphasized that nine out of ten workers he spoke to were in favor of the policy. For those who disagree, Garman’s message was clear: “If there are people who just don’t work well in that environment and don’t want to, that’s okay—there are other companies around.”
Amazon’s CEO, Andy Jassy, had already hinted at this stricter return-to-office approach earlier in 2024, positioning it as a way to strengthen team collaboration and cohesion. He argued that working side by side enables faster decision-making and problem-solving. In a similar vein, Garman added that Amazon’s leadership principles—guidelines dictating how employees should work together—are difficult to truly absorb and practice in a remote setting. “You can’t internalize them by reading them on the website; you really have to experience them day-to-day,” he explained.
One of these principles, “disagree and commit,” highlights the importance of voicing opinions but then aligning with the team on key decisions. According to Garman, remote work makes this type of engagement challenging. “I don’t know if you guys have tried to disagree via a Chime call,” he quipped, referring to Amazon’s internal messaging platform. “It’s very hard.”
While Amazon has taken a notably hard stance on the return to the office, many of its tech industry peers are embracing a more lenient approach. Companies like Google, Meta, and Microsoft have opted for hybrid work models, requiring only two to three days of in-office work. Amazon’s decision to enforce five days a week has positioned it as one of the more stringent tech giants in terms of office presence.
Despite the criticism from some employees, Garman remains optimistic about the future. “I’m actually quite excited about this change,” he remarked, acknowledging that not everyone would share his enthusiasm. He also noted that the current three-day-a-week policy wasn’t producing the desired results. “We didn’t really accomplish anything,” he said, pointing out that different schedules meant that employees were often in the office on different days, undermining the collaboration Amazon is aiming to foster.
As Amazon’s second-largest employer after Walmart, the company’s actions are being closely watched by other organizations across industries. Many will be looking to see how employees respond to this shift and whether it triggers a wave of departures or whether, as Garman suggested, most employees will ultimately adapt to the new normal.
And that “new normal” won’t come gift-wrapped with a how-to guide. As companies like Amazon experiment with return-to-office policies, the real challenge isn’t just logistical—it’s cultural. Rebuilding team cohesion after years of remote or hybrid work demands more than optimism; it requires intentional development of soft skills, leadership capabilities, and adaptive thinking. Employees need support not just in where they work, but how they work together again.
This is where programs like TrainSMART step in with real value. Rather than handing employees new schedules and hoping for the best, corporate training services can ease the transition by preparing teams for face-to-face collaboration, rekindling productive routines, and aligning individual roles with organizational goals. The shift back to the office doesn’t have to feel like a regression if it’s framed as a strategic evolution—one where people are empowered to function better, not just show up more often.
Garman’s optimism could be well-placed, but only if it’s matched with investments in people, not just policies. Employees returning to shared workspaces need more than a desk—they need guidance, training, and a reason to believe this shift benefits them too. When companies treat change as a catalyst for growth instead of just compliance, that’s when the real progress happens.
