Adding strain to already-strained parents

RTO mandates from companies like Amazon are devastating.

Image created via Midjourney

Amazon made headlines this week for its announcement that employees must return to the office five days per week, up from a current hybrid arrangement of three days per week in-office and two days remote. In a letter, CEO Andy Jassy talked about "strengthening company culture" and the ability to "invent, collaborate, and be connected" when employees are together in the office.

I've written before that if remote work isn't successful, it's a management failure, not an individual one. And, of all companies, surely Amazon has the resources to figure out how to connect and engage with a remote workforce effectively. But it's easier to order everyone back into the office than solve any challenges the company may be having (and that's a strong maybe since I'm always skeptical of any claims around "company culture.")

In Jassy's letter, one line stuck out to me: "We understand that some of our teammates may have set up their personal lives in such a way that returning to the office consistently five days per week will require some adjustments." Amazon is giving employees three months to figure this out, with the RTO mandate effective January 2, 2025.

That line struck a chord as a parent. So many parents in the U.S. are at a breaking point with such little support, both from employers and the broader social structure. RTO mandates from companies like Amazon and many others are making bad situations worse.

Parents need tangible support

In September, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory about the declining mental health of parents. The accompanying report cited data from the American Psychological Association, finding that 48% of parents say that most days, their stress is "completely overwhelming." In an op-ed for the New York Times, Murthy wrote, "It’s time to recognize they constitute a serious public health concern for our country. Parents who feel pushed to the brink deserve more than platitudes. They need tangible support."

There are many, many reasons for parental stress. Murthy pointed out some changes that can alleviate the burden, such as increased tax credits and better access to childcare. Childcare, in particular, is an issue that is significantly challenging without workplace flexibility.

The cost alone is astronomical, but specifically, finding childcare increases parents' mental labor load, which can lead to increased stress and depression, especially for mothers. In-office work requirements may change the dynamics of parents' existing childcare arrangements — sending them into the hellscape of finding new care. Or it may change the financial burden of childcare.

When my kids were little, I had to pay extra if I wanted before- and after-care (outside of the school hours of 8:30 to 3:30). I never paid for this because workplace flexibility meant that I could pick my kids up at 3:30 each day. If I worked in an office from 8:0 am to 5:00 pm, before- and after-care would have cost hundreds of dollars more per month. Per kid.

The other day on Threads, I saw someone lamenting data published in The San Francisco Chronicle that many elementary school children are dropped off at school (versus walking or taking the bus). More cars on the road certainly lead to more road congestion and pollution. But my immediate thought was, "These parents are doing what they have to do to make the school day work with an in-office job."

The school day is notoriously difficult for working parents. Today, my youngest child got on the bus at 8:30, and my oldest comes home shortly after 2:30. If I were in an office and my office was near the school, I'd be dropping my kid off also, in a frantic race to get to the office.

That's just transportation. It doesn't even begin to touch on so many other parenting-related issues that are made substantially harder by workplace inflexibility.

No wonder 48% of parents find their stress to be "completely overwhelming." Between the financial burden, the childcare burden, and employers ripping away remote work, parents feel increasingly like they're on their own.

Forcing people out

LeanIn.org, in collaboration with McKinsey, released its annual report "Women in the Workplace." One of the findings was that even though women have seen advancement in the workplace over the past 10 years (since the report was first compiled), it will take almost 50 years for women to see parity in leadership roles in corporate America.

It's all interconnected. Women have shouldered the burden of the childcare crisis. RTO mandates make this crisis worse. It may force more women out of the workforce because they simply can't find the childcare they need or can't afford it. Which, in turn, sets women in the workplace back — maybe even more than the "Women in the Workplace" report suggests.

The report found that more companies (78%) report gender diversity to be a high priority. But gender diversity and inflexible workplaces are at odds with each other, given the current state of resources for families in this country.

People speculate that Amazon is using the RTO mandate as a "stealth layoff" tactic. Rather than laying people off en masse (and paying severance benefits), Amazon hopes that some people will simply quit because they cannot make it work with five days per week in the office.

At least for some people, that will certainly be the effect, whether that was Amazon's intention or not. As a result, Amazon — and others — have a less diverse workforce. They have those that can make such work arrangements work, and those who can't.

How to plan a career pivot

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