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Amazon exec says it’s time for workers to ‘disagree and commit’ to office return — “I don’t have data to back it up, but I know it’s better.” (fortune.com)
submitted 2 years ago by [M, B] to c/technology@lemmy.world
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Amazon exec says it’s time for workers to ‘disagree and commit’ to office return — “I don’t have data to back it up, but I know it’s better.”::“We’re here, we’re back. It’s working,” an Amazon Studios head said in a meeting, before acknowledging a lack of evidence.

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[–] 83 points 2 years ago (4 children)

How do statements like that not spook investors? You're telling me that leadership in the world's largest internet hosting service are making decisions without collecting relevant data first, or worse, wilfully ignoring the data available that doesn't support their preference? That is not a good sign for the future growth of AWS.

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  • [–] 47 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    One of Amazon's core values is being data driven. If you want to change something, you colllect data about it first. It was one of employees large counterpoints to RTO at the org, the lack of data provided about its value.

    This is the exec admitting they aren't following the Amazon process, but are making people do it anyway.

    "Disagree and commit" is another one of their principles, i.e "we acknowledge that you disagree, but you need to commit anyway now that we made the decision." Better known as "Im the boss, so shut up."

    This guy is just a bald face saying "we dont have the data to back this up so we shouldn't do it, but i said do it, so do it."

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  • [–] 23 points 2 years ago

    "Disagree and commit" is a line that's used in Hardspace Shipbreaker by a terrible middle manager who's bullying his crew. It's so obviously framed in the game as just some bullshit to say shut up without using mean sounding words. I should have expected it came from the real world but it was so weird to see it crop up in a news article lol.

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  • [–] 17 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Because executives and investors are often cut from the same cloth, flaws and all. Plenty of them will have the same baseless belief that office-based work is “just better”.

    Plenty of the are also investors in commercial real estate as well as tech companies, and property bubbles need regular reinflation.

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  • [–] -5 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 child)

    Thing is, all else being equal, office-based work IS better (edit: in many cases). But all else is not even remotely equal. Office-based work has tremendous extra cost: rent, utilities, facilities, morale, commute time, mental exhaustion, inflexibility, environmental impact, and so on. Add it all up and while I don’t have the data to back it up, I’m pretty sure working from home is better.

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  • [–] 8 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Where's your data that, "all else being equal, office-based work IS better"? I mean, I don't have data that says otherwise, but I know the company I work for as well as higher-ups at other companies I've talked to noticed right out the gate that productivity went up when they went work from home. The same work needs to be done, and it gets done. If it doesn't, fire them. I have trouble seeing how the location the worker is in matters, all things being equal.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago

    The company I am at experienced the same results - a surprising jump in productivity. But they are forcing us back to the office now. Odd, almost like productivity isn't a factor to them...

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  • [–] 0 points 2 years ago

    Fair enough. I should have qualified with “in many cases”. Design and creative work can be done in large part remotely, but benefit greatly from in-person collaboration and workshopping.

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