Amazon, others angering workers, growing unions with forced back to work policies| Opinion

Gleb Tsipursky is a resident of Columbus and the CEO of the hybrid work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts, and authored "Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams."

Frustrated and angry Amazon workers are pushing back against the recently-announced return to office policy by the Amazon leadership. Amazon's policy joins other high-profile companies such as Disney, Starbucks, Tesla, Google, and others that are forcing employees back to the office.

Some are claiming they need to do so for the sake of productivity.

For example, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, claimed that those working remotely only "pretend to work" and are "phoning it in." However, in reality, extensive research shows remote workers are more productive than those in the office, not less.

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Unfortunately, too many old-school managers like Musk prefer a rigid, top-down power structure. Musk is well-known as an extreme micromanager.

Such an authoritarian approach is well-suited to the assembly line model of the early 20th century, but not well-suited for a modern knowledge economy. That’s why we’re seeing employees use worker power to fight against these authoritarian mandates, resulting in empowered labor unions.

Wages do not cover expense of working in office

YouTube contractors in Texas went on strike in protest of rules requiring such workers to report to the office.

Those Cognizant employees were notified of the Feb. 6 return-to-office date in November.

The vast majority of the contractors were hired during the pandemic and have always worked remotely.

Workers say their pay, which starts at around $19 per hour, isn't enough to cover the costs of relocating to and living in Austin.

The workers' strike came after they filed a prior month for union recognition, leading some to conclude the move was being made in retaliation. The workers are also seeking to have Google and Cognizant recognized as joint employers.

The New Mexico State Personnel Office ordered state employees working remotely to return to in-person work at the start of the new year. Many voiced their frustrations against the order, citing issues with commute, health, poor in-person work conditions, lack of child care, and low pay, among other things. State workers rallied against the state's return-to-office order at the roundhouse in Santa Fe.

Dan Secrist, president of CWA Local 7076, said the state's return-to-office mandate has worsened problems it was intended to solve while creating new ones.

The Canadian Federal government ordered public service employees to return to the office up to three days per week.

Work from home is valuable.

A recent survey of nearly 14,000 public service workers revealed close to 75 per cent of government employees would rather work from home. Marc Brière serves as the national president for the Union of Taxation Employees, which represents some 37,000 workers with Canada Revenue Agency. He says it is unnecessary for the majority of employees to return to the office.

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Over 2,000 Amazon employees signed a petition protesting the return to office mandate. Besides that, over 14,000 joined an internal Slack channel for supporting remote work and presenting their concerns about the company’s plans. Given the labor union movements in Amazon warehouses, there’s a substantial possibility of Amazon knowledge workers and warehouse workers uniting.

Employers who are forcing their employees back to the office are trying to reassert control over their workers, but they are finding that it is backfiring. Workers are pushing back against these efforts, and many are joining unions to protect their rights and interests. Employers who refuse to recognize this trend risk alienating their workers and facing the consequences.

It is time for employers to recognize the value of hybrid and remote work and to work with their employees to create hybrid or remote work arrangements that meet the needs of both parties. Employers who do so will enjoy a happier and more productive workforce, while those who refuse to adapt risk falling behind in a rapidly changing world.

Gleb Tsipursky is a resident of Columbus and the CEO of the hybrid work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts, and authored "Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams."

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Opinion: Forcing employees back to office angering them, growing unions