Just last week, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy just demanded that all of its employees start returning to office five days a week starting from next year. Shortly after the announcement was made, Blind conducted an anonymous forum with over 2,500 Amazon employees to view their opinions on the new policy.
The survey shows that only 9% expressed satisfaction with the new policy, while a striking 73% said they are now considering changing jobs due to the requirement. One Amazon employee voiced their frustration: “The RTO policy is unreasonable, especially for those of us hired remotely. I’m not willing to relocate because of family, and with the threat of layoffs, it’s not worth the risk.”
The poll, conducted shortly after the announcement, revealed that 32% of respondents knew someone who had quit because of the RTO mandate, while 80% knew others considering doing the same.
While Blind’s polls aren't fully representative of the whole Amazon employees , they provide a valuable snapshot of sentiment among tech workers. Fortune recently reported similar dissatisfaction from an internal survey on Amazon.
A different Amazon staffer commented: “I feel disappointed by the five-day RTO, but I’m fortunate to have flexibility. I don’t have kids, and I’ve saved enough to pivot to something that better suits my lifestyle.” Another added, “Decisions like this are why I’ve chosen not to have kids. I don’t need rules that ruin my quality of life.”
It's not just retention that’s being affected—recruitment seems to be suffering as well. A Microsoft employee on Blind shared that Amazon recruiters had been pushing aggressively for interviews but admitted candidates were dropping out due to the RTO policy. “In the past 24 hours, I’ve been contacted five times for an onsite interview. The recruiter admitted that hiring managers are frustrated because so many candidates are backing out.”
Some on the message boards were less sympathetic, noting that office work used to be the standard. Others speculated that the policy might be a strategic move to quietly shed employees not fully committed to the company, a tactic allegedly used by firms like Dell.
The authors of the survey said they plan to aggregate and share the result by email with Jassy and other executives so as to "provide them with clear insight into the impact of this policy on employees, including the challenges identified and proposed solutions."
Amazon is not alone in pushing for more in-office presence, though few tech companies have been as strict. However, if the broader industry follows Amazon’s lead, remote work enthusiasts may find their options increasingly limited.
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