Is 5-days a week really that bad?! What the Amazon move means for you.

In mid-September when Amazon announced they were making workers come back to the office 5-days a week, the internet went into overdrive.

Amazon aren’t the first company to demand this but they certainly coped intense heat for their decision. 

Always a company that divides opinion, people were quick to comment on the short-sighted nature of this decision. While those who were looking a bit deeper, claimed it was a way to make people redundant without having to make redundancy rounds.

So, what does this mean for you?

If you work for Amazon it’s pretty clear you have a decision to make. 

But if you don’t, why should you care?

Well, because Amazon is a high profile company. 

And if they are prepared to demand people back to the office 5-days a week, then don't be surprised if more companies follow suit. 

Your company could be next.

But I don’t want to go back to 5 days! 

I highly doubt that every company in the world is going to ask employees back in the office (let's be real, companies save a TON in office rent and expenses) but if your company is one, you do have some decisions to make. 

What are the options?

The first thing I would do is to ask yourself, is it that bad?

Not all jobs are created equal and if you have a job where the office is more a base than a location, 5-days might not hurt so much. 

When I worked for Nike, we worked 5-days a week in the office but we had the freedom to come and go as we needed. No one was checking our schedules. We had total flexibility. 

If you have a job like this, 5-days a week in the office might not be an issue.

At the other extreme, if you are having your ‘timesheets’ checked to see when you arrive and leave, then this is a different story.

It feels crazy to think in 2024 companies would track employees like this but it does sound like - in an effort to get people back to the office - some companies are resorting to this tactic.

I can completely understand why under these circumstances, quitting your job would make more sense than staying.

I’m leaving! 

If leaving is your plan, then good on you. You have to do what's right for you. 

But you still have a few options.

Firstly, you could stay and see how things go. Call me crazy, but when the dust settles on these announcements, I think there will be more flexibility than it currently appears. If you're not keen to start a job hunt, you could stick around and see how it goes. 

If you definitely want to leave, you can either quit immediately or go back to the office 5-days a week while job hunting on the side.

If you are going to quit your job without another one lined up, make sure you have the funds to survive should your job hunt take longer than expected. 

Also consider how you will mentally cope without working. Financially surviving is one thing but mentally surviving is another. Think it through.

Starting your job hunt

Either way, it's time to start your job hunt. 

The great thing is, there are still plenty of companies out there that offer flexible working, with limited time in the office. And plenty of roles fully remote. 

Take the time to work out what you need from your next move.

• What does the working structure need to be - hybrid or fully remote? 
• What types of companies and industries do you want to work in?
• How big would you like the organisation to be?
• What sort of environment do I really thrive in?

And then set out a plan to secure this role.

While the move back to 5-days a week is definitely happening for many companies, it's not every company. And the great thing about the job market in 2024 is that we have a huge variety of working arrangements to choose from.

You just have to find the one that suits you.

If your company is going back 5-days a week, and you are on the hunt for a new role, the Creative Career Level Up might be right for you.