Recently, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy gave notice that all AMZN corporate staff were to be back in the barn working in January 2025.
(Before anyone sends any inflammatory emails, we've used the Cows metaphor for better than 25 years and have gone to great lengths to be clear that we are NOT comparing people to cows. With that point made, if anyone chooses to see such a comparison, that's on them, not us.)
Having spent ten years in two different corporate staff assignments, I've worked from cubes & offices @HQ, from a desk in the room over my garage, and in Delta seat 2-B. I can appreciate one facet of reasoning behind the order: Specifically, the notion that the folks in HQ need to set an example for the rest of the organization which, in this case, is among the world's largest private employers. Fair or not, corporate staff members (generically) have long been viewed by others in an organization as privileged, well-paid characters, exempt from normal rules and expectations. (Normal jealousy rules apply.)
Among the reasons given for backing such a decision are things like quicker/better staff acculturation, better bonding of teammates, enhanced leader development, greater accountability, and more fluid/effective coaching. Okey dokey. We get it. There is no disagreement there.
Before going further, some clarification is in order: This is about management smarts, not worker rights. If you (or Amazon, or any organization) can find the right people willing to work at high output under your rules, go for it! If not, you'd be wise to revisit the rules.
On the opposite side of the fence, slamming the door shut on teammates who've opted to keep working from elsewhere after the pandemic passed is a hard move that comes with a price:
Following are two issues that Mr. Jassy and his peers at other organizations currently observing from the cheap seats should be mindful of: