CHAUDHRI: Is Amazon behind the times?

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“Keeping your culture strong is not a birthright,” so says Amazon CEO Andy Jassy in a memo calling workers back to the office five days a week.

If you have followed my columns, you will know my view on remote working. I have consistently never endorsed the practice. I have spent the last three years building my own firm and, like Amazon, culture was a key reason I created an in-firm working environment.

After all, how does one create an ethos, a mandate, or a vision over zoom and email threads?

But then, there came a point that I had to evolve. While my team flourished in person with opportunities for mentorship, meeting clients and fostering uplifting team dynamics, my competitors were offering something I wasn’t – flexibility.

Flexibility was a commodity I deeply misunderstood.

As a firm owner, if I had an errand to run, a late afternoon lunch I wanted to take, or something urgent to do, I could step out of the office with no one to answer to (except, of course, my clients). I rarely take time away from the office, but that’s not the point. I can jet away on a (relative) whim because I am supported by a great team.

If I benefited from flexibility, surely my team needed it, too.

Litigation is deadline driven and makes for a fast-paced working environment. Teams can rarely step away during the work day and often find themselves working into evenings and weekends.

I thought sometime last year to “pilot” a light Friday initiative to allow employees to work from wherever they want Friday afternoons with only a skeleton staff in office. It was a resounding success.

This year, in addition to light Fridays we rolled out an optional work from home day once a week. While some use it consistently, others save it only for weeks they truly need the flexibility. It saves a lot of time on administration as the office need not approve every half day away for a medical appointment or meeting with a teacher.

Our team has more autonomy. And the office has much lower bureaucracy.

Even though we have increased flexibility, we are and remain an in-office team. We collaborate in person. We mentor in person. We service clients and celebrate our firm’s achievements in person.

I write this column after a Friday afternoon team lunch at a little Italian restaurant on Bay St., in Toronto, a few steps down from our office. Our entire team was there, sharing stories, catching up on weekend plans and interesting cases from the week. We also welcomed a new team member.

It was entirely voluntary. I assume we all just wanted to be there.

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We certainly aren’t perfect and our current model could change. But the evolution has been eye opening. Experimenting with what works for your work force is something every business owner can consider. If a small business owner can do it, surely large institutions have the means to as well.

So, while most would expect me to applaud Amazon’s move to return workers to the workplace five days a week, in my view, that ship has sailed.

I have found that even the highest performers who love working in person value a little autonomy and trust. Most do not want to have to ask for it though. It is an unspoken need that probably deserves some acknowledgement, particularly for those employees who are core to your business and elevate your brand.

Amazon will lose employees as a result of its return to work protocol and perhaps that is part of the goal. Among those leaving will be employees of the highest order, all because of some inflexibility.

Have a workplace question? Maybe I can help. Email me at sunira@worklylaw.com and your question may be featured in a future column.

The content of this article is general information only and is not legal advice.