Washington Post Implements Strict In-Office Work Policy

In a recent announcement, The Washington Post has mandated that all employees will be required to return to the office five days a week starting next year. This directive comes from the newspaper’s chief executive, William Lewis, marking a significant shift in the company’s pandemic-era remote work policies.

According to Lewis’s memo, all employees are expected to be back in the office by June 2. Furthermore, managers are required to resume full-time office attendance by February 3. Lewis emphasized the importance of in-person collaboration, stating, “We are really good when we are working together in person.”

This new policy aligns with a similar decision made by Amazon, the parent company of The Post, which was announced by CEO Andy Jassy in September. Jassy noted that in-person collaboration is crucial for Amazon’s ability to operate efficiently and maintain its corporate culture.

The shift to a stricter in-office requirement is likely to exacerbate existing tensions within The Washington Post. This comes on the heels of Jeff Bezos’s controversial decision to discontinue the paper’s long-standing tradition of endorsing presidential candidates. That decision sparked widespread backlash, leading to a notable increase in subscription cancellations and public criticism from both current and former journalists.

Reactions to the new in-office policy have been largely negative, particularly from The Washington Post Guild, the employee union. The Guild described the policy as “inflexible and outdated,” expressing concerns that it would disrupt workflows rather than enhance productivity or foster collaboration. In a statement, the Guild’s leadership remarked:

• “Guild leadership sees this for what it is: a change that stands to further disrupt our work rather than to improve our productivity or collaboration.”