Washington Post warns staff who refuse return-to-office mandate: ‘We will accept resignation’

Washington Post management plans to scrap the hybrid work schedule, telling employees it will accept the resignation of any staffer who refuses to the office five days a week, according to a report.

The Jeff Bezos-owned broadsheet shared an internal Q&A on Monday that included a section devoted to the new return-to-office policy, which was announced earlier this month as the newsroom was reeling over management’s decision not to endorse a presidential candidate in this year’s election.

“What would you say to a person who does not wish to return to a 5-day a week office schedule?” one of the questions read.

“If an employee decides they do not wish to return to work at The Post on a 5-day a week office schedule, we understand and will accept their resignation,” the memo said.

The news was first reported by Semafor media report Max Tani, who posted a screenshot of the Q&A on his X page.

The New York Post has sought comment from the Washington Post.

William Lewis, the Washington Post’s chief executive officer, announced earlier this month that all employees are expected to return to the office by June 2.

Managers are required to be back in the office full time by Feb. 3.

“We are really good when we are working together in person,” Lewis wrote in announcing the new policy.

Bezos is the founder and former CEO of Amazon, which also recently announced that it wanted its employees back into the office five days per week.

He angered Washington Post staffers and readers last month when he published an essay in his newspaper explaining the decision to block a planned endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, who went on to lose to President-elect Donald Trump.

An estimated 250,000 people canceled their subscriptions to the newspaper after it declined to issue an endorsement.

Two columnists resigned from the newspaper and several writers stepped down from the editorial board in protest.