Amazon’s disgruntled employees are reportedly devastated after its human resources director rejected an internal petition asking the tech giant’s leaders to cancel its plan to return to the office.
Some 30,000 employees have signed a petition pleading with CEO Andy Jassy to rescind his directive that almost all employees work onsite no less than three days per week. The return to work plan is ready to come into effect on May 1.
Beth Galetti, Amazon’s head of HR, rejected the petition in a message to the organizers obtained by Insider and signaled that the return to office plan would go ahead as planned.
“Given the big variety of our employees and the big selection of our businesses and customers, we recognize that this shift may take a while, but we’re confident that it’ll have long-term advantages in enhancing our ability to deliver products to our customers, strengthening our culture and a growing and developing workforce,” Galetti said in a memo.
Galetti stressed that “Amazon’s commitment to [diversity, equality and inclusion]the security and well-being of our employees and sustainability remain unchanged.”
Internal whining concerning the need for office space is the newest sign of discord on the Seattle-based e-commerce giant, which has shaken up employees by announcing one other round of 9,000 layoffs on Monday – just weeks after 18,000 were made redundant as a part of a sweeping cost-cutting effort. . .
Supporters of the petition aired their grievances about Galetti’s response on an internal Slack channel titled “Distant advocacy”, which was used to organize the campaign.
“I’m falling here. Sorry, I feel like a complete failure,” one Amazon worker wrote, according to Insider. “Are available in and work. Do as you are told.
“I cry when my family prepares a meal.”
“I recovered from alcoholism with WFH and now I do not know,” wrote one other.
“I realize Beth cannot respond to every request for accommodation, but I do not think that is representative of the vision she describes, and the disconnection is painful,” said a 3rd worker.
Within the petition, which first appeared last month, Amazon employees argued they were more productive and enjoyed a greater work-life balance in a distant work environment.
Employees also said the three-day-a-week requirement contradicts Amazon’s stance on issues resembling reasonably priced housing, diversity and climate change.
Jassy, meanwhile, argued that more on-site days would help construct effective collaboration and “deliver services to customers and the corporate.”
The Post contacted Amazon for comment.
Amazon is in recovery after a dismal 2022 that saw the corporate’s shares fall 50%.
In a memo to employees, Jassy said the newest round of 9,000 layoffs was “a difficult decision, but one we imagine is best for the corporate in the long run.”
The layoffs affected Amazon Web Services’ cloud computing division, People Experience and Technology (PXT) unit, promoting division and Twitch’s live video division.
Amazon has joined other tech giants including Meta and Google in carrying out layoffs in response to a severe downturn within the sector and deteriorating economic conditions within the US.