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Amazon Tells Employees to Relocate or Resign

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Re: Amazon Tells Employees to Relocate or Resign

#11

Post by bediger4000 »

fathomdeez wrote: post #4

Why do these companies keep trying to fire remote employees? Is it so hard to let them keep working from home? Is the company's real estate portfolio that important? You could probably even pay remote workers less (or give non-remote employees a "bonus" for coming in) and everyone would still be happy.

My guess is that there's tax breaks on the line in most cases. That is, corporations got some tax breaks on the basis of so many humans in downtown (or whatever office). If they don't meet those obligations, they loose some overly generous subsidy.

Re: Amazon Tells Employees to Relocate or Resign

#12

Post by delfinom »

JJMcJ wrote: post #10
csense wrote: post #5

The following is not legal advice, it's just my opinion. DYOR, check with a lawyer, etc. "Do you want to relocate or resign?" is a false dichotomy. You can always just refuse to answer (possibly with soft words like ""I'm not sure" or "I haven't decided yet") -- keep doing your job, and wait until the company lets you go. I'm pretty sure, if a company moves its operations and your job no longer exists in the same loc…

Usually if the worksite moves more than some distance, usually +/- 50 miles, you can claim UI if you don't relocate.

Yes but the employer must first fire you for refusing to relocate.

Hence _dont resign_.

Some companies try and cheat employees illegally by not only telling you one of two options but also tell you that no response is "voluntary resignation".

The correct answer is speak to an employment lawyer, but it's usually as simple as you draft a letter that says "I do not accept the relocation and I AM NOT resigning".

Re: Amazon Tells Employees to Relocate or Resign

#13

Post by yladiz »

felixnm wrote: post #8
0xjunhao wrote: post #3

What's the difference between resign and layoff :)

Resign is employee initiated, being laid off, or layoff, is company initiated. Not sure about other states, but in Illinois if you resign, most likely you won't qualify for unemployment benefits. If you're laid off (as I've been multiple times), you can qualify for unemployment benefits. I'm basing this on my experience, but you should consult an attorney before signing anything if you're being fired/laid off/let go,…

In Germany, it’s similar: you’re entitled to unemployment benefits regardless (if you’ve been an employee of a company that pays for your salary and taxes), but if you quit you don’t get benefits for 3 months as a “penalty”, so people ask to get fired by their employer and in some cases the employer obliges.

Re: Amazon Tells Employees to Relocate or Resign

#15

Post by guywithahat »

It's unclear from the article, but it seems like these people were hired near an office, (stupidly) moved away during covid, and now don't want to return. I have sympathy for them, but also it seems stupid to have thought remote work would last longer than covid.

Re: Amazon Tells Employees to Relocate or Resign

#16

Post by guywithahat »

csense wrote: post #5

The following is not legal advice, it's just my opinion. DYOR, check with a lawyer, etc. "Do you want to relocate or resign?" is a false dichotomy. You can always just refuse to answer (possibly with soft words like ""I'm not sure" or "I haven't decided yet") -- keep doing your job, and wait until the company lets you go. I'm pretty sure, if a company moves its operations and your job no longer exists in the same loc…

I'm also not a lawyer, but wouldn't getting fired for not showing up to work be for-cause, thus excluding you from unemployment benefits? My understanding (which isn't clarified in the article) is these employees weren't hired to be remove, they were hired at an office.

Re: Amazon Tells Employees to Relocate or Resign

#17

Post by refurb »

Do people remember during Covid how it was a “remote work revolution” and how it was going to cause sweeping changes to how people worked and how the economy functioned?

Pepperidge Farms remembers…

Not to toot my own horn or even make a pretty obvious prediction, my HN history has a comment from years ago predicting pretty much exactly what happened.

Companies would do it as long as they needed to. Once they knew they had more people than positions it would be a slow squeeze and eventual “come in to the office or quit”.

Re: Amazon Tells Employees to Relocate or Resign

#18

Post by subarctic »

guywithahat wrote: post #15

It's unclear from the article, but it seems like these people were hired near an office, (stupidly) moved away during covid, and now don't want to return. I have sympathy for them, but also it seems stupid to have thought remote work would last longer than covid.

Remember that period of time when they were writing articles about the "new normal"? Some people thought it would last a really long time. And fwiw it's been 5 years already

Re: Amazon Tells Employees to Relocate or Resign

#19

Post by ako »

guywithahat wrote: post #16
csense wrote: post #5

The following is not legal advice, it's just my opinion. DYOR, check with a lawyer, etc. "Do you want to relocate or resign?" is a false dichotomy. You can always just refuse to answer (possibly with soft words like ""I'm not sure" or "I haven't decided yet") -- keep doing your job, and wait until the company lets you go. I'm pretty sure, if a company moves its operations and your job no longer exists in the same loc…

I'm also not a lawyer, but wouldn't getting fired for not showing up to work be for-cause, thus excluding you from unemployment benefits? My understanding (which isn't clarified in the article) is these employees weren't hired to be remove, they were hired at an office.

Changing working location could be a contract change, and (at least in the netherlands), employees cant be forced to accept contract changes or resign.
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