Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced a significant policy change for its employees. Announcing an end to its hybrid work policy, he has asked employees to be back in the office five days a week, effective January 2, 2025.

Citing the advantage of being together in the office, Andy Jessy emphasised a return to being in the office the way it was before the onset of COVID-19.

“The five days a week in the Amazon office help address the issue of being better set up to invent, collaborate, and be connected enough to each other and culture to deliver the absolute best for customers and the business, we’ve decided that we’re going to return to being in the office the way we were before the onset of COVID,” said Andy in a blog post.

According to Andy, it’s easier for teammates to learn, model, practice, and strengthen culture; collaborating, brainstorming, and inventing are simpler and more effective; teaching and learning from one another are more seamless; and, teams tend to be better connected. “If anything, the last 15 months we’ve been back in the office at least three days a week has strengthened our conviction about the benefits.”

However, flexibility will be there to help employees to help them address personal or professional emergencies. Amazon is going to bring back assigned desk arrangements in locations that were previously organized that way, including the U.S. headquarters locations (Puget Sound and Arlington). For locations that had agile desk arrangements before the pandemic, including much of Europe, we will continue to operate that way.