As more companies shift to a hybrid work plan, Amazon is pausing construction on six new office buildings in Tennessee and Washington.
The delay, according to Reuters, will not affect Amazon's hiring plans. The firm still expects to create 25,000 jobs in Bellevue, Wash., and another 5,000 in Nashville, Tenn. The pause will take effect after the lobbies and exteriors are constructed at one of Amazon's two Nashville towers and five buildings on its Bellevue campus.
Amazon intends to use the extra time to reevaluate its office presence, trading traditional floor plans for more social layouts to better accommodate work-from-home schedules born of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal reported. "Like many companies, we're still learning how these new habits may impact our office footprint," John Schoettler, Amazon's vice president of global real estate and facilities, explained.
"The pandemic has significantly changed the way people work," Schoettler added. "Our offices are long-term investments and we want to make sure that we design them in a way that meets our employees' needs in the future."
Bloomberg noted that Amazon also decided to reduce the amount of space it intends to lease at Hudson Yards in New York City. Facebook parent company Meta has similarly decided against acquiring additional square footage in Manhattan, where it already leases office space 770 Broadway and nearby Astor Place.
"There are often a number of reasons why we wouldn't proceed with a particular deal, including office utilization," a Meta spokesperson told Bloomberg. "The past few years have brought new possibilities around the ways we connect and work. We are working to ensure we're making focused, balanced investments to support our most strategic long-term priorities."
The social network remains "firmly committed to New York," and still expects to open the Farley Building near Pennsylvania Station "in the coming months," Reuters said.