Amazon Laying Off Employees in Communications and Sustainability Units
Amazon is laying off some employees in its communications and sustainability units, according to an executive overseeing the divisions. Drew Herdener, who oversees public relations and corporate responsibility, announced the layoffs in a note to staff on Wednesday.
The affected roles were identified as being too narrowly scoped or introducing unnecessary layers, which could not be addressed by flattening or shifting workloads. Herdener said the decision was difficult and not taken lightly, but necessary to do the right thing for the business.
As part of the reorganization, some employees may be rehired for roles at lower levels, while others may have their headcount redistributed to other areas of the organization. Amazon will provide financial support, continued benefits, and job placement assistance to laid-off employees.
This is the latest in a series of job cuts at Amazon, which has eliminated over 27,000 jobs across the company in 2022 and 2023 as part of CEO Andy Jassy’s efforts to rein in costs. The company has also continued to wind down some of its more experimental or unprofitable initiatives, including a “Try Before You Buy” clothing service and a speedy brick-and-mortar delivery program.
In addition, Amazon is streamlining its communications and sustainability divisions, which have grown significantly in recent years. The company is also making changes to its “hub strategy,” which determines the offices teams primarily use, with the goal of having more team members working in the same physical location as their manager and teammates.
Amazon has made significant changes to its workplaces in recent months, including requiring corporate staff to spend five days a week in the office and setting a goal to flatten its corporate structure by having fewer managers in each organization. Some employees have chosen to leave the company instead of relocating to comply with these changes.
