Amazon is intensifying its enforcement of return-to-office policies, now utilizing a new internal dashboard to monitor how frequently employees are physically present. This represents a meaningful shift towards greater control over in-person work and a more data-driven approach to measuring employee productivity. As of January 12, 2026, this new system is being rolled out across corporate teams, sparking debate about employee monitoring and workplace versatility.
According to an internal document, teh tool provides managers with direct insight into employee attendance patterns throughout the association. This isn’t simply a headcount; it’s a detailed view of how, when, and where employees are spending their time at the office.
The New Metric: How Badge Swipes Signal Performance
Amazon’s new attendance dashboard meticulously tracks every employee badge swipe over an eight-week period. Managers can now view daily attendance patterns with a fast afternoon refresh, and the system automatically categorizes employees based on their office presence – identifying those with “low-time” or “zero” badge activity, and also individuals accessing buildings outside their designated workspace.
While the system’s labels are intended to flag employees who significantly deviate from established in-office expectations, managers are instructed to exercise their discretion before taking any corrective action.Essentially, a simple badge tap has evolved into a quantifiable measure of office attendance.
A Gradual Shift to Strict Oversight
Amazon’s move towards stricter attendance policies wasn’t immediate.
Initially, the company relied on aggregated, anonymous data to assess overall office occupancy. However, this approach shifted when Amazon began individually tracking employee attendance and sharing that data with managers. This was followed by a crackdown on “coffee badging“-the practice of swiping into the office for a brief period without ample work-with teams informed that short visits wouldn’t fulfill in-office expectations unless a minimum number of hours were logged.
This change sparked resistance from employees who expressed concerns about feeling overly monitored, but the
