Amazon is reportedly intensifying its push for employees to return to the office by implementing strict new attendance measures. According to a report in Business Insider, citing internal communications and sources familiar with the matter, several departments, including retail and cloud computing, are now required to spend a minimum of two hours in the office per visit.
Some teams have even been mandated to stay for at least six hours.
"Amazon is now monitoring the hours corporate employees spend in the office. This move is intended to crack down on people who are trying to skirt the company's return-to-office policy," said the report.
What is "coffee badging" by employees
The new rule is said to be aimed to stop "coffee badging" employees who briefly stop by to satisfy the RTO mandate. The move is a direct response to what Amazon terms "coffee badging," a practice where employees badge in, get coffee, and leave the office shortly to satisfy their return-to-office mandate. The company aims to curb this behavior and ensure compliance with its return-to-office policy, which was introduced last year, requiring most corporate staff to be in the office three days a week.
This latest development marks a new chapter in Amazon's ongoing battle to bring employees back to the workplace. The tech giant has faced significant backlash from staff, including a petition signed by over 30,000 employees opposing the policy. In response, Amazon has taken a hardline stance, implementing measures such as mandatory relocation for certain employees and denying promotions to non-compliant staff. CEO Andy Jassy has also publicly warned employees to leave the company if they cannot adhere to the return-to-office mandate.
In an email to BI, Margaret Callahan, an Amazon spokesperson, said the company has started to "speak directly" to employees who haven't spent enough time in the office.