Amazon Stays Tough as Nails on Return to Office Mandate

Amazon has been fairly unyielding with its return-to-office mandate, and a new report from CNBC indicates that stance isn't softening. Per posts on the company's internal site viewed by CNBC, staffers who don't work from the office at least three days a week—as they have been required to do since May—might find they can't get promoted. One key post:

• "Managers own the promotion process, which means it is their responsibility to support your growth through regular conversations and stretch assignments, and to complete all the required inputs for a promotion. If your role is expected to work from the office 3+ days a week and you are not in compliance, your manager will be made aware and VP approval will be required."

Another posts states that managers and Amazon's human resources group are working in concert to "monitor adherence" to the mandate, and that such monitoring "will continue as we evaluate promotion readiness." An Amazon rep confirmed the stance, saying, "Like any company, we expect employees who are being considered for promotion to be in compliance with company guidelines and policies." Fortune points out that a withheld promotion might be the lesser of the potential consequences for not adhering with the policy: It reports that Amazon managers in October were told they could fire employees who didn't comply. (More Amazon stories.)