RPJ’s Nafsika Karavida Featured in “Business Insider” Article On Amazon’s new RTO Policy

In a recent article by Business Insider, RPJ’s Nafsika Karavida was interviewed on Amazon’s new and controversial 5-day return-to-office (RTO) policy.  The policy, which now requires employees to work in the office five days a week, was announced in September and came into effect globally on January 2, 2025.

While the RTO directive may be global, Amazon has implemented different policies in various regions, with notably more flexibility in Europe compared to the US.  For example, unlike in the U.S. where any work-from-home (WFH) policies will be determined on a case-by-case basis, in the UK, Amazon employees can apply for remote work on certain days of the week, such as one or two days, based on internal documents.  In the Netherlands, employees can continue working remotely for up to two days a week.

Ms. Karavida offered insights into these differing policies, pointing out that the variations are likely due to cultural, legal, and operational factors across regions.  She explained that in the Netherlands, Amazon cannot enforce a strict RTO policy without approval from the works council, which is a legal requirement.  In contrast, the UK has implemented new flexible-working regulations which allow employees to formally request the option to work remotely for part of the week.

According to Ms. Karavida, however, the situation in the US is quite different.  While the policy doesn’t explicitly mention specific remote work days, employees are still able to request offsite work.  Ms. Karavida highlights how this contrast in policies reflects the global nature of Amazon’s workforce and the varying legal frameworks and workplace cultures in different countries.

Read the full article here.