Amazon AWS CEO: If you don’t like 5-day office policy, leave

New Delhi: Amazon's top executive for Amazon Web Services (AWS), Matt Garman, defended the company's upcoming 5-day-per-week in-office policy, stating that employees who disagree are free to seek jobs elsewhere.

Speaking at an all-hands meeting on Thursday, Garman emphasized that the policy, set to take effect in January, has broad support, with nine out of ten workers he has spoken with backing the move, according to a transcript reviewed by Reuters.

"If there are people who just don't work well in that environment and don't want to, that's okay, there are other companies around," Garman said, adding that in-person collaboration is essential for driving innovation.

He noted that remote work has hindered the company's ability to achieve its full potential, especially in developing new products.

The new policy has sparked backlash among Amazon employees, many of whom argue that commuting wastes time and the purported benefits of office work are not supported by independent research.

While Amazon has enforced a three-day in-office mandate since earlier this year, CEO Andy Jassy announced last month that the company would move to a full five-day schedule to foster better collaboration and connectivity.

Some employees who failed to comply with the current three-day policy were reportedly marked as "voluntarily resigning" and locked out of company systems.

Amazon, the world's second-largest private employer after Walmart, is taking a stricter approach than its tech industry counterparts like Google, Meta, and Microsoft, which have adopted more flexible two- to three-day hybrid work models.

Garman acknowledged that the shift to five days may not sit well with everyone but expressed optimism about the change, stating, "I know not everyone is [excited], but we can't meet our goals with just three days in the office."

An Amazon spokesperson declined to provide immediate comment on the policy.