‘Worst thing to happen’
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently shared an internal memo about the company’s return-to-office policy which has sparked a heated debate across social media.
He stated that the company has decided to “return to being in the office” the way it was before the pandemic. “When we look back over the last five years, we continue to believe that the advantages of being together in the office are significant,” he clarified.
What did the memo say?
“Before the pandemic, not everybody was in the office five days a week, every week. If you or your child were sick, if you had some sort of house emergency, if you were on the road seeing customers or partners, if you needed a day or two to finish coding in a more isolated environment, people worked remotely. This was understood, and will be moving forward as well. But, before the pandemic, it was not a given that folks could work remotely two days a week, and that will also be true moving forward—our expectation is that people will be in the office outside of extenuating circumstances (like the ones mentioned above) or if you already have a Remote Work Exception approved through your s-team leader,” a part of the memo read.
Why is The Office trailer facing backlash?
Amid the debate about this memo, a video by Prime Video, a streaming service by Amazon, has received a great deal of negative attention.
Specifically, it was the trailer for the remake of the famous sitcom The Office, which featured a not-so-well-received joke about RTO.
Unfortunately for Amazon, the reaction to the trailer was far from positive. Viewers took to all social media platforms to criticize their decision, fusing it with their distaste for their RTO policy.
“Amazon dropping a trailer for a remake of The Office about mandatory RTO we are so cooked,” posted an X user.
This is about how #Amazon managers tell the team that they need to return to the office pic.twitter.com/jut9edrYh8
— Eugene Krasicki (@efkrasicki) September 18, 2024
Amazon: “We want everyone back in the office 5 days a week starting on Jan 2 2025 because somehow, being on a video call is better in the office than it is at home.” pic.twitter.com/XoWA8MGv1L
— Миша (@mikecherry) September 16, 2024
Many also stated bluntly that they did not find the trailer funny.
