WaPo Orders Staffers Back to the Office

Employees at The Washington Post will be expected to work from the office five days a week next year, according to a new memo from the newspaper’s chief executive, the latest crackdown on pandemic-era remote work policies.

According to the NY Times, all employees at The Post will be expected to return to the office by June 2, according to a memo from William Lewis, The Post’s chief executive. Managers must be back in the office full time by Feb. 3.

“We are really good when we are working together in person,” Lewis wrote.

The new policy at The Post — which is owned by the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos — mirrors a similar edict announced by the e-commerce giant in September. In a memo to Amazon employees, Andy Jassy, the company’s chief executive, said that in-person collaboration allowed Amazon to move fast and retain its culture.

William Lewis

The new policy at The Post could add to recent turmoil at the company, after Bezos’ decision to end the paper’s tradition of endorsing presidential candidates. That decision set off a wave of subscription cancellations and a rare rebuke from some of its top current and former journalists.

“We know for some people this shift from three to five days in the office will be welcomed and a straightforward transition,” he wrote. “For others, we know it will be an adjustment – you may need to adapt routines and rediscover old ways of managing work-life balance.”

“This is why we are giving more than six months for many of our colleagues to work it through,” Lewis added. 

The Washington Post currently allows employees to work from home two days a week.