I was going into Amazon’s office 5 days a week before the RTO push. It’s helped me focus and bond with teammates.

Amazon employee Luka Emrashvili has been working from the office 5 days a week since 2022.

Luka Emrashvili

Luka Emrashvili has worked as a software development engineer at Amazon since 2022.He started going into the office five days a week long before Amazon announced its RTO push this week.Emrashvili said in-person work has improved his focus and helped his team bond.

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Luka Emrashvili, 24, an Amazon software engineer based in New York, about the company’s decision to require employees to be in the office five days a week. Business Insider verified Emrashvili’s employment with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I view working at Amazon as a big career achievement.

I’m from Georgia in Eastern Europe, where working for a Big Tech company like Amazon is a big dream for a lot of young professionals.

I applied to Amazon shortly after moving to the US to complete my bachelor’s degree. I was offered a role as a software development engineer in November 2021 and my start date was July 2022.

For most of my time at Amazon, I’ve been going into the office five days a week. It’s helped me focus and separate work from life.

When Amazon RTO rules started requiring people to come into the office three days a week, I noticed that in-person work helped me and my team collaborate better.

Everyone has their own opinion on the new five-day-a-week RTO policy, but I value in-person connection.

I didn’t enjoy working remotely at Amazon

When I joined Amazon, I worked fully remotely. The office wasn’t closed, but no one would come in, so I’d be alone if I went.

I found it challenging to onboard remotely. I was trying to get used to the company’s systems, learn the culture, and connect with my team from home, but online meetings and conversations made me feel isolated. I found it hard to build relationships and understand how things worked.

Roughly a month after I started, I decided to work in the office five days a week. It helped me separate my home and work lives, but the office was still pretty empty.

I remember that other people who came in weren’t doing so on a daily basis, more like three times a week.

I was hopeful that the 3-day rule would help rebuild the office culture

In February 2023, Amazon announced that employees would have to come in three times a week.

I remember colleagues feeling uncertain about how they’d be able to adjust.

I was glad it would incentivize people to come back to the office and rebuild the office culture that COVID-19 took away. In software engineering, it’s so helpful to collaborate on problem-solving through whiteboard sessions or chatting at someone’s desk.

There was a “Badge Report” for tracking your days in the office. I heard rumors about Amazon employees “coffee badging” on the news, but I don’t personally know of anyone who’s done it.

In-person work has helped my team collaborate and improved my focus

I heard about Amazon’s new RTO policy, requiring employees to come in five days a week, on Monday.

Again, it wasn’t a big change for me.

I usually work at Amazon’s office near Bryant Park, and my commute takes around 15 minutes, but others have long commutes, and it might be more challenging for them to come in every day.

When we were fully remote, everything had to be scheduled and there wasn’t room for spontaneous discussions or brainstorming. Now, if I have a quick question, I can just walk over to someone’s desk. Those in-person conversations lead to new ideas we wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Being in the same space builds a stronger sense of community, too. We’ve had more informal conversations over lunch or in the hallway that have helped us bond.

Emrashvili has personalized his work set-up with mementos to remind him of Georgia.

Luka Emrashvili

The office environment helps me focus better. We have adjustable desks that allow you to stand up if you‘re tired of sitting, and I can personalize my workplace. I prefer it to working from home.

I really value in-person interactions, meetings, and collaboration, but everyone has their own preference. I still think that ideally, people should be able to choose what is most productive for them.

A spokesperson for Amazon previously told BI the return-to-office guidance was an effort to strengthen its culture. They added they had observed that in-office work makes it easier for employees to learn, model, and collaborate.

Do you have a personal story about RTO policies at work? Email ccheong@businessinsider.com