Downtowns cheer RTO as women prep for less flexibility

Downtowns prepare for full-time return to office policies as employees push back

What you probably already know: More downtown employers nationwide are ordering a return to the office (RTO), or adjusting their hybrid policies to encourage more in-person work. One of the country’s largest employers, Amazon, will bring employees back to the office five days a week starting in January, much to the chagrin of many employees who want to continue working at least part time from home. The shift back to the office, however, puts pressure back on women who are more frequently called upon to take care of children or family members.

Why? Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is a proponent of in-person work, believing the system fosters a strong internal culture where collaboration and innovation can flourish. “If anything, the last 15 months we’ve been back in the office at least three days a week has strengthened our conviction about the benefits,” he said in a public memo. The company is not making any additional benefits available to its employees, though, and childcare costs in Seattle have skyrocketed, averaging around $40,000 a year for an infant and $25,000 for a pre-schooler, prices that are out of reach for many families. While RTO has a disproportionate impact on women, it does bring more life to a city’s downtown core, which could help these areas feel safer and more welcoming.

What it means: In downtown Seattle, home to Amazon’s headquarters, the impending RTO policy has been met with mixed emotions. More than 500 employees asked the company to reconsider the decision and embrace the flexibility of remote work, while Downtown Seattle Association President Jon Scholes called the move “a home run for downtown.” Another center city employer, the Belltown-headquartered Whitepages, currently asks local employees to work in person at least one day a week. CEO Leigh McMillan said the company has embraced the hybrid structure in favor of the benefits it offers employees — ”less commuting time, more flexibility, more diversity in recruiting and better mental and physical health” — but she added that “there is no substitute for in-person relationship building.” 

What happens now: While Amazon’s impending RTO policy will boost small businesses, restaurants, and the arts in the area, it points to a dependence on the policy decisions of corporate entities, which is a risk considering many have shifted to hybrid and remote work. McMillan said the city needs to evolve beyond this reliance by turning some vacant offices into housing, partnering with businesses to host community events, and filling empty stores by incentivizing landlords and making it easier for entrepreneurs to obtain permits. “If I had a magic wand I would use it to evolve Seattle’s downtown to make it more attractive for people to live in — more trees, more walking space, more housing, more local commerce, more town squares,” McMillan said. Those are the kinds of incentives people need to feel like it’s worth coming into town.