The announcement by Amazon this week requiring employees to return to work in the office five days a week is perhaps an indication that there truly are more benefits to working in person rather than remotely. Though some may disagree, it seems it depends on the type of work being done rather than just the organization.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s memo to employees stated the reason for this change is to “further strengthen our culture and teams.” Jassy has been with the company for the past 27 years.
“. . . . the biggest reason I’m still here is our culture,” Jassy wrote. “Being so customer focused is an inspiring part of it, but it’s also the people we work with, the way we collaborate and invent when we’re at our best, our long-term perspective, the ownership I’ve always felt at every level I’ve worked, the speed with which we make decisions and move, and the lack of bureaucracy and politics.”
Jassy wrote that they need to have the right organizational structure to drive the level of ownership and speed, and they want to be “set up to invent, collaborate, and be connected enough to each other (and our culture)” to deliver best for customers and the business.
“. . . we’ve observed that it’s easier for our teammates to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture; collaborating, brainstorming, and inventing are simpler and more effective; teaching and learning from one another are more seamless; and, teams tend to be better connected to one another.”
Many companies with in-office mandates claim benefits such as better collaboration and communication, a strengthening of their culture, and other elements that are difficult to measure.
I’ve long advocated in my work as a leadership coach for in-person communication and collaboration because it is simply harder to do remotely. I believe there is no better way to build trust and rapport than by being in the same room together, and this obviously impacts overall productivity.
On the other hand, a new study found that a hybrid schedule of working from home two days a week does not damage performance. Resignations fell by 33% with workers who moved from working full-time in the office to a hybrid model. According to the study, women, individual contributors, and employees with longer commutes were the least likely to quit their jobs when they worked a hybrid model.
“Hybrid work is a win-win-win for employee productivity, performance, and retention,” said Stanford University professor Nicholas Bloom, who was one of the researchers on the study.
So perhaps fulltime versus hybrid really depends on a variety of factors and a one-size fits all approach may not be desirable or effective. For example, individual contributors who don’t participate in collaborating, brainstorming and inventing may not be more effective in the office fulltime. In fact, for some, it may lower their productivity.
This reminds me of a young man I know who interned at a high-tech company that required him to move to another city and come into the office each day. After two months of doing so, he explained that it felt ridiculous as he spent most of his time working alone, and when he did interact with others and received mentoring, it was via Zoom because his co-workers were working remotely.
Ultimately, every organization needs to determine the best way forward on remote work. It’s certainly worth keeping in mind that many individuals may be more effective and less likely to resign if they are given further freedom to work remotely at least part of the time.