Worker opposition and ingenious strategies
Amazon is taking action after its employees discovered an innovative method to circumvent its return-to-office (RTO) policy, which mandates that employees work from the office at least three days per week.
Following the announcement of the mandate in February 2023, it triggered intense opposition from employees, who organized several walkouts to protest the decision. In response, Amazon warned that it would withhold job promotions from those who did not comply with the mandate and started monitoring employee badge swipes in office buildings.
Since that time, certain employees have allegedly started adopting a novel workplace trend that enables them to adhere to the RTO mandate in a technical sense, but not in the manner the company intends.
The phenomenon of coffee badging involves employees clocking into the office and remaining just long enough to grab a cup of coffee or attend a meeting. They leave after a few hours to continue their work from another location. This trend helps employees manage their work-life balance while meeting the employer’s in-office working requirements.
“Do you recall when we were assessed based on metrics that truly counted?” an employee wrote in a Slack message.
“It’s all just so unclear, it’s infuriating,” another employee wrote on Slack.
Despite employees showing up at the office more often, Amazon has also started directly addressing those who are not spending sufficient time in the office.
“It’s been over a year now, and we’re beginning to have direct conversations with employees who haven’t been consistently spending significant time in the office. We’re making sure they understand the value of spending quality time with their coworkers,” said an Amazon spokesperson.
Actions and measures for enforcing company policies
In reaction to the increasing trend, Amazon is said to have started monitoring the hours employees are present in the office.
It is claimed that the retailer now mandates employees to spend a minimum of two hours in the office per visit for it to qualify as office attendance. Some teams within the company have been directed to remain in the office for at least six hours on each day they are present.
“Do you remember when our evaluations were based on meaningful metrics?” one employee wrote in a Slack message.
“It’s all just so unclear, it’s infuriating,” another employee wrote on Slack.
Although employees have been coming to the office more often, Amazon has also started addressing those who aren’t spending sufficient time in the office.
“Given that over a year has passed, we are beginning to communicate directly with employees who have not routinely spent significant time in the office, to emphasize the importance of quality interactions with their colleagues,” stated an Amazon spokesperson.
To date, over half of hybrid employees in the United States engage in coffee badging. A recent Owl Labs survey revealed that roughly 58% of these employees partake in this activity, with millennials making up 63% of the participants.
Amazon isn’t the only one; other companies have increased enforcement of their return-to-office (RTO) policies after encountering difficulties with employees.
Dell has introduced a color-coded system to evaluate employees based on four distinct colors, reflecting their adherence to its RTO mandate. Attendance at Dell is monitored via badge swipes and VPN connections. Despite increased enforcement efforts, it is reported that half of Dell’s employees still work from home full-time.
