Return-to-office mandates have set the tone for 2025, with big companies like WPP, BT, and Amazon turning a new leaf on mandatory office presence as the year kicks off.
As large corporations try to pivot to working more from the office, they’ve invariably encountered the same problems: pushback from employees and the lack of office space.
Another issue, as highlighted in Amazon’s case, is how different regions respond to the RTO mandate. The tech behemoth announced in September that it would require its staff to be in offices five days a week—a jarring shift from a hybrid work set-up that had been in place for the years prior, owing to the pandemic.
The only exceptions to the rule would apply to those who’ve already been approved for the approved or had extenuating circumstances. In the U.S., Amazon reviews remote work requests on a case-by-case basis rather than making it the norm.
However, there might be more room to maneuver if Amazon’s employees were based in Europe, according to a report by Business Insider.
The Seattle, W.A.-headquartered retail giant is supposedly allowing greater flexibility for some employees in Europe. The outlet cited the Netherlands as an example, where employees were sticking to an earlier guidance of work-from-home for up to two days a week.
A memo sent to Dutch-based employees late last month suggests that the management in the Netherlands is still in talks with its workers’ council on workplace flexibility.
"Until further notice, while everyone is welcome and encouraged to work from the office for five days per week, you may continue to follow the current in-office guidance for your role and team into the new year," the memo viewed by BI read.
In the U.K., meanwhile, employees have the legal right to request to work remotely, which further complicates blanket RTO policies that apply to the entire company's workforce, regardless of the region in which they’re based.
Policies that don’t account for these regional disparities are “somewhat naïve,” Andrea London, a partner at law firm Winckworth Sherwood, told Fortune.
“When your workforce is your central asset, then communication is key,” she said. “Blanket policy in any jurisdiction, without any considerations on a case-by-case basis (which is what the Flexible Working legislation in the U.K. effectively enforces) is likely to result in employees voting with their feet.”
Companies typically solicit employee feedback and then consider the motivations behind an RTO mandate—whether it’s for collaboration or simply to revert to pre-pandemic work styles.
Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy already faced criticism from his employees when he announced the company’s sharp U-turn in hybrid work policies, which upended many of their lives. Experts speculated that the harsh new policies could be a form of “backdoor layoffs” or indirectly shrink the company's headcount, as people would be forced to leave if they don’t plan to comply. Amazon has denied this.
Amazon has now delayed its RTO mandate, which was meant to take effect on Jan. 2, in several locations due to space constraints.
Representatives at Amazon pointed Fortune to Jassy’s September memo when approached for comment.
Many companies have eased employees back into office work by starting with a few days in person and eventually ramping it up. Others, including the early adopters of aggressive RTO rules such as Goldman Sachs, have stuck out like sore thumbs as employees are expected to adjust their work patterns significantly around being present in the office.
Irrespective of the approach the companies have taken, RTO mandates remain contentious.
This week, WPP, the British advertising giant, ordered its global workforce back into the office at least four days a week. JPMorgan is also looking to bring all its staff globally back to the office every day.
