'‘If It's Not for You': Amazon Web Services Chief Matt Garman's Take On Work-From-Office Culture

Matt Garman, who has been vocal in his support of in-office work, shared that nine out of 10 employees he's spoken with have expressed enthusiasm for the transition back to the workplace

Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Matt Garman addressed concerns over possible employee departures due to the company's upcoming five-day return-to-office policy, set to take effect in January. Speaking at The Wall Street Journal's Tech Live event on Monday, Garman noted that while he doesn't have an exact estimate of how many employees might leave, he believes that the majority of Amazon's workforce supports the change.

"If it's not for you, then that's okay — you can go and find another company if you want to," Garman said, acknowledging the concerns of some employees regarding the mandate.

Garman, who has been vocal in his support of in-office work, shared that nine out of 10 employees he's spoken with have expressed enthusiasm for the transition back to the workplace. He highlighted the importance of in-person collaboration, saying, "When it comes to disruption and inventing on behalf of our customers, there's no substitute for doing that in person."

The e-commerce and Cloud computing giant announced its latest work-from-office policy in September, requiring corporate employees to return to the office five days a week starting January 2. The move has drawn mixed reactions from employees, with some saying they are equally productive working remotely or in a hybrid arrangement. Additionally, concerns have been raised about the policy's potential impact on families and caregivers.

About 37,000 Amazon employees have joined an internal Slack channel advocating for continued remote work, according to report by CNBC.

Garman highlighted the advantages of in-office interactions, pointing out that spontaneous conversations — such as "writing on a whiteboard, talking to someone in the next cubicle, or running into colleagues from other departments in the coffee line"— cannot be replicated in remote settings.

Previously, Amazon's policy required employees to work in the office at least three days per week. However, Garman noted that this approach was less effective, as "everybody picked a different set of three days," leading to inconsistent attendance.

As Amazon prepares for the January rollout, the response from its workforce remains a focal point, with some predicting challenges in retention while others embrace the shift back to a traditional office environment.