My Thoughts on "Return-to-Office" Policy*

Be proactive and take action, or simply follow the company’s policy. Either way is better than begrudging it.

Image taken from this Youtube video.

Amazon's announcement of its “Return-to-Office” (RTO) mandate has ignited extensive online discussion. As of today, January 2, 2025, the RTO policy officially takes effect.

My LinkedIn feed has been buzzing with posts on the topic. A few days ago, an Amazon engineer shared a post citing an internal survey that claimed “48% of engineers are considering leaving because of this.” Personally, I find it hard to believe that even 5% of Amazon engineers would leave solely due to this policy.

In this article, I want to share my perspectives on the matter:

• One from the employer's viewpoint

• Another from the employee’s evolving perspective.

1. The company determines whether employees (and contractors) are required to work in the office or can work remotely.

Many software engineers argue that "working from home is better," often highlighting benefits such as increased productivity and fewer distractions. Whether or not this is true, the decision isn’t typically in the hands of employees. These choices are usually made by executives based on data and insights that are not accessible to most staff, like the one below.