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Amazon's New Return to Work Policy

So today we're discussing Amazon's in person mandate, and I'm joined by Sarah Richardson, president of This Week Health 229 Executive Development Community.

Sarah, welcome to the show. Thank you, Kate. Okay, so this is an interesting one. Amazon has introduced a new policy employees to work on site at least three days a week, emphasizing the importance of in person collaboration and innovation. This decision aligns with a trend we're seeing among major tech firms to return to physical workspaces post pandemic.

And while some support the move for its potential to enhance teamwork, others raise concerns about its impact on work life balance and flexibility. By implementing this, Amazon joins companies like Google and Apple, reflecting a broader recognition of the challenges and replicating the benefits of physical interactions in a remote context.

Insights on Remote Work and Team Management

So this is a pretty interesting one because this week, health, we happen to be remote, but Sarah, um, give me some of your thoughts on this.

Yes, so what's super interesting about this is I have worked in hybrid, fully remote, and fully on site organizations. And so, if we were just to extract this and think about ourselves, we've always been a remote company. So when you create culture from the very beginning of a remote workforce, it has a different dynamic.

Then enforcing a stricter in person office policy. And so it depends on the culture of the organization. When they think about collaboration and productivity as key reasons for the policy, you also have to consider the fact that you may have recruited talent during the pandemic or post that you can source somebody from a completely another state or country that can't come into your office.

Now, when you work for global organizations or multinational corporations, like an Amazon, you You're likely going to have pods of people all over the world who are in offices or even at home talking to people in remote locations. And so what I find most interesting about these large organizations that were acquiring this level of effort, it's something that still stems from.

What culture do you create as a leader? How do you think about productivity and retention and some of the efficiencies that come with that? So when you, major tech firms want to tighten remote work policies post pandemic, you also have to consider the fact that if you're going into an office and you're sitting on the phone talking Talking to people in other places.

Two pods of teams talking to other people on the phone doesn't necessarily create that desired level of collaboration, so you have to be really thoughtful about what are you doing when you are in the office. Yeah, and I like how you brought in culture, which is always such a big part. But another thought I had about this is that when telemedicine really caught on during COVID, a lot of CIOs used the phrase, the genie's out of the bottle.

And I think the same can be said for this. I mean, I'm a parent. I've experienced this flexibility, it would be really hard to go back to a situation where, you know, I don't have that. So I think it really speaks a lot to the recruiting retention and, you know, as we know in IT, that's not something that you want to mess with.

Well, and it's, here's the thing I love about you mentioning you're a parent. This isn't a replacement for childcare. I mean, heck, your kids are in middle school, I believe. At this point. And so the fact that you're home, so, Hey, you don't have any dog sitter. You don't need to worry about these other aspects of being away from, from your house as high performing, highly productive, accountable human beings.

We can be the best version of ourselves at work from home and also be the best version of ourselves at home. Home while we're still managing work. We've actually added time to our day being at home. I was at a presentation about a year ago that says for the average remote worker, they've added two and a half hours a day of quote unquote productivity.

Now, how well you create your own walled gardens for your own stability of mental health and other aspects of the blurred lines between personal and professional. The truth of the matter is I produce more work when I'm at home than I would commuting to the office, et cetera. It's your self discipline to a degree that allows you to create those own boundaries for yourself so you don't feel like you're always infringed upon.

So, so much of this is about self management as it is about team management within a corporate culture. Great point, Sarah. So if you are considering bringing a team back into the office, , what are some takeaways from you? Thanks for asking, because one of the things we are so good at is our well being and understanding that people need to have that balance. And it is a responsibility that if we sent people home and expected them to be productive, bringing them back in and being productive, it's Still about the balance of the things or the structures in their life that have allowed them to be such an incredible performer for you.

And so make sure that they have a space where they can create that for themselves. Be really intentional about your communication and really explain the reasons for the change and focusing on whether that's productivity, collaboration, or culture so people understand it's not just coming in to sit at a desk.

Cube, and have a remote conversation. Make sure your employees feel safe, both psychologically and physically. Do a phased transition, uh, let people know when things are coming and why, and then really understand, like, how the shift could affect employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention. You may have a dip.

Making sure that you're open to the feedback and actively soliciting that from your teams is going to help you create an environment that can be sustainable in what again is a new change for many people who have gotten very comfortable being at home and also have been very successful at working 📍 from home.

Good points. that's a wrap. Don't forget to share this podcast with a friend or colleague and thank you for listening.  ​