As digital commerce and cloud computing services boomed during the global coronavirus pandemic, Amazon maintained their position on top by having their employees work remotely. However, the internet giant recently announced that they will be reverting back to their policy requiring employees to work in their respective offices.
In a recent statement released by Amazon, the company mandated that employees must be physically present at their place of work and comply with government safety protocols and restrictions. The message stressed that any employee not obeying the rules may face certain consequences that could result in being passed up on potential promotions.
The e-commerce giant had initially instituted the practice of work-from-home in March 2020 in order to protect their workers during the early days of the global health crisis. However, as the situation has somewhat stabilized in the US and some other parts of the world, Amazon has decided to bring the remote workers back to their respective offices.
The mandate was met with mixed reactions from Amazon employees. Some employees appreciated the decision and praised the company for providing a safe workspace for the workers. Others, however, felt that this was an unnecessary move by the company. They argued that Amazon should have kept the remote working policy intact as it allowed workers to work more efficiently, thus, increasing the overall productivity.
The new policy by Amazon has divided many of their employees and raised questions about its fairness and safety protocols. The fact that the company is threatening to deny merits and promotions to those who do not comply with the rules is something that the company and its employees must discuss and evaluate before implementing it.
All things considered, the decision of Amazon to require the presence of its employees within the physical office premises during the pandemic is something that needs to be taken seriously. While the move may help the company ensure that employees are staying safe and productive, it could also contribute to rising levels of stress and anxiety among the workers due to their close proximity with one another. In any case, it will be interesting to see how the company implements its new policy and how the employees respond to it.
