Amazon has told about 350,000 of its corporate employees in the U.S. that they must relocate to one of the company’s main hubs—like Seattle, Arlington, or Washington, D.C.—within 30 days, or they’ll have to resign within 60 days without receiving any severance pay. This tough policy is part of Amazon’s bigger push to get its workforce back into offices full-time, which the company says is needed to strengthen collaboration, innovation, and productivity—areas it believes have suffered under remote work.
While other big tech companies like Google and Meta are also enforcing stricter in-office rules, Amazon’s scale and the lack of a severance package make its approach particularly notable. The decision has triggered a backlash, with many employees arguing that this feels like a way to force people to quit without proper compensation—a form of “constructive dismissal.” Critics also point out that the mandate will likely hit employees who can’t easily uproot their lives, such as those with family responsibilities, health concerns, or financial constraints.
This policy comes at a time when Amazon is investing heavily in AI and automation, which some see as another signal that the company may further reduce its workforce in the future. Overall, the relocation ultimatum reflects one of the strongest stances yet by a major tech company to reverse remote work trends—but it raises big questions about fairness, job security, and how workers will adapt.
