Amazon WFH Policy

if you find it that difficult to build relationships with work colleagues and enjoy your work life then i feel for you. Working at home in isolation full time is not healthy.

it often does, and most of the real zealots are working alone in my experience.

They just have to show the process was followed.

There was a recent case in the WRC that pretty much showed this. (They went in favour of the employer as they had followed the process to the letter)

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2024/0808/1464076-wrc-tiktok-worker-remote-working-case/

Went back today for the first time in 6 months. Absolute hell. Makes me appreciate being 99% WFH.

5 days?

Some people have brought this on themselves. A lot of people just didn't turn up to the office with the two or three days in-office hybrid policies, despite firms asking again and again.

Firms were willing to compromise but staff weren't and as a result firms are getting a little fed up in some cases. I think if people played ball more on the two or three days as a compromise position it might have bed in better as a permanent solution but we'll have to see.

I have to say, the staff in my workplace have been super compliant with the level of attendance that is required of them. I haven't heard of a single case yet of someone messing.

That's not to say it doesn't happened elsewhere. But I still think it is poor management if the solution is to punish all for the few.

Apparently I am.

All because I had the audacity to suggest that while WFH has plus sides, it also has some issues.

For the record, I believe it's some individuals who have ruined WFH for everyone. It only takes one or two per company.

nail on the head. But this is 100% dependent on HR and not the manager - if managers go on a solo run to manage performance they will be thrown under the bus. It only works if HR will back it up. People blame weak / lazy managers but really it is a weak culture and weak HR. It's very frustrating as a manager when your hands are tied

Fully onboard with this.

Some people really put a lot into their work, and assign it to their worth as an individual. With my own experience, I often remind myself that I am basically a number to pretty much every employer, no matter how hard I work, or how often I go to the office. If the company ran into financial issues, none of that would matter at all, you'd be laid off.

As for the return to some offices, any company that say it is for culture, productivity, mental health, they are talking out of their arse. My last place had a mandatory 1 day in the office per week, everyone had their earphones on, taking calls with remote workers, no one talking or engaging, nothing. The free lunches were not bad…but a 1 hour commute for that? If that is the culture, best to reflect on what you value as part of your career.

Amazon will set the trend for more companies, I do see this becoming the norm for a lot more as time goes on. I prefer the hybrid model myself, with more of a preference to WFH most of the time, I personally get more time to work, no distractions like an office or side of desk tasks. But that is me.

I'd expect to see big tech follow suit with the return to the office, and with that we will see folks "quiet quitting" or going to smaller firms that offer WFH or hybrid models.

Have you looked?

Here is a study on a company of 16000 employees:

https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/working-papers/does-working-home-work-evidence-chinese-experiment

Here is a meta-analyis of over 500 companies:

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/business/wfh-good-for-firms-revenue-growth-study/articleshow/105217421.cms?from=mdr

some of the companies you mentioned are hiring lots lately, wages are lower than before but there is a noticeable uptake in the market now.

It’s a lot better than it was 12 months ago, but not noticing a huge change to be honest, definitely not where it was at 18+ months ago

100% agree with Dublinflyers post above, the only reason that Irish employee got the 500k was due to Irish law, in the US you'd be on the kerb! Still doesnt stop US managers of Irish employees trying these tactics out, which can cause alot of stress..

Have you worked for American companies? I have worked for 4, never again. I have 20 years experience in them…

Figures and stats can be manipulated to portray anything you want, a thing American companies are adept at!! :)

Now people who will do anything for money is another matter. But long term exposure to the so called 'best working conditions' will do your mental and physical health no good.

Can you outline the best working conditions that are meant? I failed to see any other than wages..

Seriously you see nothing wrong with the way that individual was treated in the article, all you see is the money! Pity all the other employees who now have to give up their life if they wish to remain working for that t**t!

It would be a representation of alot of tech US companies, maybe an extreme example but nonetheless they generally treat staff as numbers..

Lads its not lockdown. These people can go outside and interact with people outside of working time.

If there are people who have lost social skills due to WFH, I would bet my life these are the people who before WFH, went to work, interacted with no one anyway, went home and stayed inside.

you're right in that I wouldn't take a 50% cut but I took a 20% cut and still believe I came out on top. I was very worried initially, but a few months in, I've realised it was by far the best career decision I've made. There are local companies here who I think could get up to that 75% mark of salary for some of the MNCs, possibly not the ridiculous salaries you see dropped once in a while, but this just feels like an easy win for local companies to attract the talent they've been bemoaning for years saying that MNCs poach away from them.

Not having to drop kids to "breakfast clubs" at 7am to make a commute is a saving. Similarly, picking the kids up from school so they can relax at home, means no afterschool club either. That saving alone is significant, and if I was commuting, I'd have to suck it up

this I do agree with. My wife is a nurse and to this day, I honestly believe she does two or three times the work I do. They definitely deserve something for continuing to work on-site when there is such a big move for others to work from home

We have offshore teams in India, some of whom moved out of the main tech cities during lockdown. So now they're flying back in to stay in hostels for X days in a row to meet their quota for the month. Which seems insane to me. But hey, rules are rules:-)