Amazon reportedly seems firm, rather very firm, to implement its three day mandatory work from Office policy. According to a report in The Insider, the company has allowed managers to terminate employees who refuse to follow its 3-day work from office policy. This comes just almost a month after CEO Andy Jassy said that the prospects of employees who refused to comply with the work from office were dim in Amazon. “If you can’t disagree and commit, it’s probably not going to work out for you at Amazon,” he said.

Amazon shared the guidelines and manager talking points through an internal portal earlier this week. The guidelines asks managers to first hold a private conversation with employees who don’t comply with the three-times-a-week requirement. Then, managers have to document the discussion in a follow-up email. If the employee continues to refuse to comply with the rules, the manager should hold another meeting, and if needed, take disciplinary action that includes a termination of employment.

Sample email
Here’s the following sample documentation template for managers to use when initiating follow-up meetings with employees who refuse to come into the office regularly. Managers in non-US countries are told to consult with their HR partner “as the template will vary by country.”

[Employee Name],

I’m following up with you after our return-to-office conversation on [INSERT DATE]. I want to ensure the expectations and next steps are clear. During our discussion, I sought to understand if there are any particular challenges you are experiencing that are keeping you from returning to the office at least three days a week. Based on our discussion, it is my understanding there are not. Instead, [CHOOSE either a or b: a) you have not complied with Amazon’s return to office expectations since our last conversation; b) you have made clear that you do not intend to adhere to Amazon’s return-to-office expectations.]

As we discussed, returning to the office at least three days a week is in the best interest of our customers, our company, and our team members. If you do not adhere to this expectation within two weeks [by INSERT DATE FOR THE FRIDAY TWO WEEKS IN THE FUTURE], you will receive formal corrective action. After that time, if you do not meet and maintain sustained compliance with returning to the office at least three days a week, you will be subject to further discipline, up to and including termination of your employment.

If you have any questions or would prefer to work together on solutions that enable you to meet Amazon’s return-to-office expectations, please let me know as soon as possible. We’ll meet again after two weeks to discuss your progress.

[Manager Name]

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