In this podcast episode, hosts Anne Morriss and Frances Frei delve into Amazon's recent return-to-office policy mandated by CEO Andy Jassy. While the intent is to bolster company culture, the directive has drawn substantial criticism for its lack of empirical backing. Morriss and Frei argue against this top-down approach, pointing to extensive research showing that many employees prefer hybrid work arrangements and highlighting potential risks to morale and retention. They suggest exploring more flexible strategies to foster employee engagement and company culture, advocating for leadership to embrace experimentation and adapt to the changing work environment, particularly in contrast to successful models like Microsoft's flexible approach.
