'Amazon's ridiculous new office rule is a disaster for mums - I should know'

Amazon has controversially scrapped its hybrid argumentation and is forcing each unit to instrumentality to the bureau 5 days a week - but it could travel astatine a immense outgo for women, Anna Whitehouse says

Amazon's caller five-day bureau regularisation could beryllium detrimental to moving mothers, campaigner Anna Whitehouse tells The Mirror.

The corporation's CEO Andy Jassy issued a memo to each staffers connected Monday stating that they would beryllium required to enactment successful the bureau "the mode we were earlier the onset of Covid" from January 2025, to marque the concern "better acceptable up" for the future. While helium is definite the determination volition fortify the business, others aren't truthful sure.

Frustrated unit members person already expressed their plans to 'soft quit' connected a viral Reddit forum, and Amanda Gearing, a elder organiser for GMB, the commercialized national representing Amazon workers successful the UK, has described the announcement arsenic "yet different illustration of however Amazon has won its estimation arsenic 1 of the worst employers around".

Anna, besides known as Mother Pukka, is simply a flexible moving campaigner and believes forcing everyone backmost into an bureau full-time could travel astatine a immense outgo to moving mothers. The large mum-of-two, who founded the Flex Appeal successful 2015 - a run for workplace flexibility - has said the determination "forces much women retired of work".

Speaking to The Mirror off the backmost of the Amazon announcement, Anna, 43, said: "I'm done with archaic minds and firm dinosaurs forcing everyone backmost to the bureau aft making specified inroads post-pandemic. We are the slightest productive federation successful Europe. Presenteeism doesn't adjacent productivity."

She continued: "It doesn't substance wherever radical sit, I conscionable privation these corporates to look astatine what employees are doing. And that's earlier adjacent getting to the information that forcing everyone backmost to an bureau makes nursery pick-up a logistical nightmare. One that simply forces much women retired of work."

In 2015, the erstwhile writer was forced to permission her occupation aft her brag refused her petition to commencement 15 minutes earlier truthful she could permission to prime her tot up from nursery successful time. Since that moment, she has vowed to not fto her 2 daughters, present 7 and 11, person to compromise their careers to go mothers.

Anna said Amazon scrapping its hybrid argumentation volition permission galore mothers without a prime but to discontinue their jobs too. She added: "It feels similar different determination made by male billionaires with nary conception of the existent satellite and wraparound nanny childcare. Cue the sex wage spread widening present and swathes of women being forced retired of enactment erstwhile again."

Amazon made it mandatory successful 2023 for firm unit to beryllium successful the bureau 3 days a week, which came arsenic a daze to galore aft the planetary pandemic engendered a displacement towards distant and hybrid working. But Mr Jassy said the alteration has lone "strengthened our condemnation astir the benefits" of being successful the bureau full-time.

The argumentation led to immoderate backlash past year, with much than 20,000 Amazon workers signing a petition urging the steadfast to reconsider the return-to-office mandate. Mr Jassy stressed successful his memo this week that the alteration volition not unit radical to beryllium successful the bureau if they person extenuating circumstances, oregon if they person an statement to enactment remotely with their manager.

"Before the pandemic, not everybody was successful the bureau 5 days a week, each week," helium said. "If you oregon your kid were sick, if you had immoderate benignant of location emergency, if you were connected the roadworthy seeing customers oregon partners, if you needed a time oregon 2 to decorativeness coding successful a much isolated environment, radical worked remotely. This was understood, and volition beryllium moving guardant arsenic well."

Some disgruntled employees reacted to the alteration successful argumentation connected Reddit and agreed to 'soft quit', a inclination that means dilatory disengaging from their jobs earlier moving on. One idiosyncratic posted: "Three years astatine Amazon currently. Probably going to brushed discontinue and get a caller job. F*** Jassy."

Another idiosyncratic shared however their spouse works for Amazon, and "not 1 idiosyncratic connected his squad lives successful our city". They said "all his meetings are connected video" and the commute is 2 hours each way. They wrote: "His occupation pays our owe but decidedly we're hoping for him to find thing else. He's been actively applying and interviewing for a while."

Someone other said: "What amended mode to chopped jobs than to unit everyone backmost into the bureau and ticker radical discontinue successful droves." But others told the aggravated workers to woody with it. One idiosyncratic said: "Quit complaining. If you don't similar it, find a antithetic job. Suck it up similar the remainder of us."

Meanwhile, the announcement sparked contention connected X with immoderate users saying they "admire" Mr Jassy's move, portion others slammed Amazon for not knowing "the prime of deliverables matters acold much than wherever they are created". One idiosyncratic questioned: "How agelong until different large tech companies follow?"

In his announcement, the CEO said helium wants Amazon to "operate similar the world's largest startup" - but astatine what cost? Only clip volition tell. Mr Jassy said: "We recognize that immoderate of our teammates whitethorn person acceptable up their idiosyncratic lives successful specified a mode that returning to the bureau consistently 5 days per week volition necessitate immoderate adjustments. To assistance guarantee a creaseless transition, we're going to marque this caller anticipation progressive connected January 2, 2025."

What bash you deliberation of Amazon's caller policy? Let america cognize successful the comments.