Amazon strictly cracks down on employees' 'coffee clock': stay in the office for at least two hours, otherwise it will be considered absenteeism

This website reported on July 17 that Amazon has recently increased its monitoring of employees’ office attendance, aiming to crack down on employees who try to circumvent the company’s return to the office policy. According to Business Insider, multiple people familiar with the matter revealed that Amazon’s retail and cloud computing departments have recently been told that they need to stay at the office for at least two hours each time to be considered valid. Some teams are even required to stay at least six hours at a time. .

Amazon cracks down on “coffee clocking” practice

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Amazon takes action to crack down on so-called “coffee clocking” practices, in which employees only briefly enter the office to sign in, grab a cup of coffee and then leave quickly to meet the company’s priorities Return to the office requirements. Last year, Amazon began requiring most corporate employees to come to the office at least three days a week, but at that time there was no minimum time limit in the office at each time.

Employees oppose return to office plan

The move is the latest development in Amazon’s long-running effort to get employees back to the office. Amazon has faced backlash from employees since announcing its return-to-office plans early last year, with approximately 30,000 employees signing an internal petition opposing the policy. Amazon subsequently increased the pressure, forcing some employees to relocate closer to the team and preventing employees who did not comply with the rules from being promoted. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy even warned employees who did not comply with the rules to leave the company.

Amazon starts talking to employees who aren’t spending enough time in the office

Amazon spokesperson Margaret Callahan said in an email, The company has started “directly talking to” employees who aren’t spending enough time in the office chat with employees.

Callaghan said: “A year ago, we asked employees to come to the office at least three days a week because we believed it would drive the best long-term results for our customers, business and culture. And that’s proven to be the case. Most employees are coming into the office more frequently, and the work atmosphere, connection, and collaboration have increased, and we hear this feedback from employees and businesses around the office. Now a year later, we are starting to directly communicate with those who do not spend a lot of time on a regular basis. Talk to employees in the office to make sure they understand the importance of spending quality time with their coworkers. ”

Employees complain that the new rules are too strict

However, Amazon employees are complaining about this new rule, which they believe is a A strict policy that is unreasonable and causes more confusion. Some have questioned whether punching in for two hours during lunch time counts as working time, while others have raised questions about how hours worked are tracked and whether it is legal. Others said Amazon's motives for doing so were unclear because the company never officially announced or explained why.

“This is all so opaque it’s maddening,” one employee wrote on Slack.

Other companies are also facing the "coffee clock" problem

This site noticed that Amazon is not the only one facing the "coffee clock" problem. A survey last year by video conferencing company Owl Labs revealed that 58% of hybrid workers admitted to “coffee punching.”

Companies strengthen the implementation of return-to-office policies

More and more companies are beginning to take action to enforce return-to-work policies. A July survey from WFH Research found that managers have become more stringent in enforcing return-to-office policies. In February 2024, 23% of respondents said employees who failed to comply faced termination, up from 11% in 2022. About 17% of respondents said their employers did not punish violators, down from 34% in 2022.

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