Leadership Transformation Expert @ APS Intelligence. Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow British Psychological Society. Professor of Leadership University of Exeter Business School.
Amazon is giving managers leeway to fire employees who do not come into the office for more than 3 days a week, following their return-to-office mandate. Perhaps they should consider that people want to come into the office because there is a compelling reason. Something that you are going to do there, even if it perhaps can’t only be done there, can be done there with other colleagues in such a way that is so dramatically better than doing it separately. Nobody wants to come into the office for free bananas and coffee. Nobody wants to be in the office so their boss can watch them work. It’s so weird. Human zoos.
The return-to-office mandates are being implemented across the board, by companies that in most other domains are considered really smart, data-driven, cream of the crop. Amazon, Apple, Blackrock, Citi, Disney, Goldman Sachs, Google, JP Morgan, Meta, Microsoft, Snap, Tesla, Uber... Even Zoom! But on this one single topic they are all collectively supposed to be driven by an antiquated, evil corporation, taylorist control-freak management delusion? Really? All these companies, that account for some of the smartest, most advanced technologies, products and strategies of the last 50 years or so - they ALL have a humongous blind spot? Seriously? Has anyone ever stopped and said: Maybe they're on to something?
Look, I can’t even imagine wanting to work somewhere that doesn’t give me the opportunity to sit in traffic for hours only to finally get to an office where I’m micromanaged by a middle manager desperately trying to justify their position.
So much for work life balance that we keep talking about. It is unbelievable that companies hire people to do challenging roles but yet somehow think these same persons cannot be trusted with working from home. 🤯
My team comes into the office once a week because they asked to. I ensure that we do activities that are more valuable face-to-face, like retrospectives, catchups, having lunch together, and so on. Mandating attendance is not a good idea. People want to be treated like adults, or they go somewhere where they will be. I can't perform at my best if I'm treated like I'm not capable of making my own decisions.
Unfortunately antequated views persist and there are foks in power that cannot perceive productivity beyond presenteeism. To me, this points to a lack of trust that smacks of projection rather than evidence of benefits of being in the office.
In fairness (if there is any) Amazon have always been very transparent about their management style. People aren’t there because they want a nurturing environment. Amazon are money focused and are in no way people focused. They are a brutal money making machine. Get onboard or get off! If you want a people centric approach, Amazon is not for you!
Trust issue much? I'm all for the connected networking and the benefits of in personal interactions ... but these kind of mandates make it impossible for any caregivers, like parents, to thrive. So caregivers will advance less and less .. what will happen to DEI then? How will businesses that don't have caregiver friendly policies fare against businesses that do? There is research that shows that companies that have a true DEI focus will perform better in the long term. Apparently this business benefit is not important to Amazon.
Wholeheartedly agree!! My marketing brain sees this as a huge opportunity for these companies to re-evaluate the working environment before requiring these things. Draw them in. But what is the best way to do that? I can send you a photo from someone who was forced to go back to the office and went in to an empty, dusty, gray desk with gray walls, gray cubicles, and a stained office chair. The office at home was a much more pleasant working environment for that person.
Return to office mandates disproportionately affect certain groups. Women, especially working mothers, are top of that list. As are people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, who cannot afford to live in big cities where headquarters are based. So too, anyone with a disability or chronic long-term health condition. It’s no silver bullet, but it has enabled certain groups to find, and remain, in work.
Leadership Transformation Expert @ APS Intelligence. Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow British Psychological Society. Professor of Leadership University of Exeter Business School.
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