The End of Remote Work?

Amazon’s full-time RTO mandate

E-commerce giant Amazon has enforced a full-time return-to-office (RTO) mandate that could end remote work or hybrid arrangements all over the world.

The policy, which will commence on January 2, 2025, is considered a home run by many businesses that believe it would strengthen a company’s culture. 

This is the latest stern RTO policy by a global business. Earlier this year, Dell enacted legislation that would bar remote workers from promotions or role changes — a measure that reiterates a team-first approach. 

Amazon’s new policy is another step in the right direction. It promotes a team philosophy and prepares young workers for a long professional career ahead.

The young beneficiaries of RTO policies

The younger generation, especially those who entered the workforce during the pandemic, is the beneficiary of full-time RTO mandates. Out of necessity, their onboardings were done through Zoom calls without the warm welcome from teammates. But beyond these, they missed out on key face-to-face interactions that could help them progress in their professional careers. 

Learning through passive observation starts at home, then in school, and then in the workplace. As new entrants to the workforce, Gen Z could pick up important workplace behaviors from their colleagues and bosses just by seeing them in person daily. 

Verbal communication, multi-tasking, and time management are imperative skills a young professional must master early on. Seeing how their colleagues conduct themselves in these scenarios could help them learn these skills faster. Simply noticing a top employee as the first and last one in the office could teach the younger ones the value of putting in long and hard hours of work. 

Water cooler conversations

Not all professional relationships must develop into personal ones. However, forming a deeper connection with your colleagues doesn’t hurt. Working in the office five days a week could lead to more after-work hangouts that strengthen camaraderie.

There’s real value in “water cooler” conversations, especially for new entrants into the workforce. Daily and random workplace conversations could lead to future professional opportunities. 

An RTO policy could also foster mentor-mentee relationships again. In remote work arrangements, communications mostly revolve around directives, project updates, and company announcements. 

However, true and effective mentorship is not contained in scheduled meetings or emails. It happens in normal, day-to-day conversations in hallways or cubicles. The oral tradition of passing industry stories from veterans to newbies is the crux of productive counseling. Lived experiences combined with stories from mentors could aid young professionals as they move up the corporate ladder.

The question for your business

How are you mentoring and forming your younger employees?

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