Charlotte Halkett’s Post

https://lnkd.in/dn8VPraF Did you catch Andy Jassy's latest update on Amazon's culture, return to office strategy, and management structure? He emphasizes the importance of maintaining a strong culture as Amazon evolves. Jassy plans to flatten the organization by increasing the ratio of individual contributors to managers by at least 15% by Q1 2025, aiming to reduce bureaucracy and empower employees for faster decision-making. The 100% return to the office is seen as a way to enhance collaboration and strengthen team connections, helping to revive Amazon's "Day 1" mentality focused on creativity and customer-centricity. As we look ahead, it will be intriguing to see how these changes impact Amazonians' daily lives and whether they truly reinvigorate the company's culture. I’m optimistic about the potential improvements - at least as a shareholder since all of the mentioned measures will result in a reduction of workforce in the expensive levels 7 throughout 10. I highly recommend reading his full update for deeper insights into these strategic moves.

Amazon news: 1. Reduce management layers. 2. Return to the office 5 days a week starting in January 2025. Why? "It’s easier for our teammates to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture; collaborating, brainstorming, and inventing are simpler and more effective; teaching and learning from one another are more seamless; and, teams tend to be better connected to one another. If anything, the last 15 months we’ve been back in the office at least three days a week has strengthened our conviction about the benefits." That's why.

Hi everyone, I wanted to share a recent article written by Amazon CEO, Andy Jassy. It discusses the companies decision to encourage their employees to be in-office 5 days a week, while citing a number of reasons for why it's helped the company grow exponentially. On a personal note, when I began a new career at the start of the pandemic, it became clear to me how important in-person mentorship was for my own professional growth. For more insight into the advantages of "in-office" culture, also take a look at Andy Jassy's article from 2023: (https://lnkd.in/essCb_Bb).

Co-location strikes back! Amazon's CEO Andy Jassy just announced that Amazon's 1.5 million-plus employees must return to the office five days per week starting January 2. Desk assignments are back, too. "We've observed that it's easier for our teammates to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture; collaborating, brainstorming, and inventing is simpler and more effective; teaching and learning from one another are more seamless; and, teams tend to be better connected to one another," Jassy said. #agile #learning #facetofacecommunication https://lnkd.in/dNBdQbF8

Did you see Amazon's employee message? They are pulling employees back to the office, reducing red tape holding people back from innovating and reducing hierarchy: https://lnkd.in/gV-FKJjx I've seen the most stir from the 'back to the office' demand. Do you HAVE to work from the office? It's a question I get asked in small talk most days. At GO! we choose to be in the office to stay connected, and have unquestionable flexibility whenever we need to work from home. This works for our purpose and team. Many businesses in Southampton already have the xx day per week policy. I'm curious to watch how many follow Amazon's way.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently issued a passionate mandate for employees to return to the office full-time starting in January. He emphasized that in-person collaboration is crucial for maintaining Amazon’s unique culture and driving innovation. Jassy also mentioned plans to flatten the organization to enhance agility and product ownership. While Jassy believes this move will strengthen teamwork and innovation, it’s worth noting that the tech industry has largely adapted to remote work. The response from Amazon’s workforce will be telling, and if successful, it could signal a broader shift in the IT sector. Get ready! How do you think this will impact Amazon’s productivity and employee morale? https://lnkd.in/gkwN7GQT

Will this bring back vibrancy to downtown Seattle? Will it cut bureaucracy (the pre-meetings for the pre-meetings)? There's a lot to be said about in person-collaboration. There's also a lot to be said about effective management skills and tools, remote or in-person. Be ready for changes in 2025. Only time will tell if the pre-2020 workforce management solution will work (again?) in 2025.

So I read the letter by the CEO of Amazon to his staff, at https://lnkd.in/gdY5TgYN One paragraph (further down) reads: "Two areas that the s-team and I have been thinking about the last several months are: 1/ do we have the right org structure to drive the level of ownership and speed we desire? 2/ are we set up to invent, collaborate, and be connected enough to each other (and our culture) to deliver the absolute best for customers and the business that we can? We think we can be better on both." Now, I thought the traditional rule of thumb is to make sure the main idea of a paragraph is delivered earlier on, rather than tacked onto the end. So I would have placed that last sentence, "We think we can be better on both." on its own line. What to make of this? Does he have poor editors? Is there a rhythm thing? Does he want to hide the "be better" prompt?

Why is everyone so worked up over Amazon bringing employees back to the office? If you don't work there, why let it take up mental space? Yes, you could argue that Amazon is setting a precedent for the rest of corporate America. Sure, you could speculate that this is a move to push-out employees that don't want to return to the office... ...then what? What's right for Amazon might not be right for you, your company, your role, your life. Only you know what is best for you. Maybe Amazon finds out it's unproductive to have everyone in the office every day. We could learn a lot from that. Maybe Amazon discovers it's better for their teams to collaborate & solve problems in person. We could learn a lot from that too. There's no one-size-fits-all answer. Instead of stressing over what Amazon is doing, I'm challenging myself to ask: "What can I learn from this?"

The news headlines about the Amazon memo highlight the return to office mandate but if you read through, the core change is about removing the overhead has been added as the company grew. Here are the key points not widely reported in news articles. 1. Increase the ratio of individual contributors to managers by 15% 2. Bureaucracy mailbox to call out excessive process or rules 3. Recognition of undesirable artifacts that has been created due to organization growth (pre-meetings for the pre-meetings for the decision meetings, initiative owners making recommendations because the decision is made elsewhere) These observations are indeed true for many fast growing organizations.