Amazon asks staff to report personal use of work phones as cost-cutting drive deepens
The monitoring is among the most detailed examples yet of corporate belt-tightening, as major companies seek to rein in expenditure following years of heavy spending during the pandemic.
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Amazon has introduced a new policy requiring employees to declare how much of their company-issued mobile phone usage is work-related, with reimbursements adjusted accordingly. Staff who use their devices for personal purposes will see their $50 monthly reimbursement reduced proportionally, according to an investigation by Business Insider into the technology giant’s latest cost-saving measures.
The monitoring is among the most detailed examples yet of corporate belt-tightening, as major companies seek to rein in expenditure following years of heavy spending during the pandemic. Insiders told Business Insider that Amazon Web Services (AWS) employees must now break down their mobile usage between business and personal activities, with every dollar spent on non-work use directly deducted from their reimbursement.
The move is part of chief executive Andy Jassy’s wider “hardcore culture reset”, which has reshaped workplace policies since he succeeded founder Jeff Bezos. Reporting suggests that alongside phone monitoring, Amazon has introduced a raft of measures designed to enforce stricter frugality and accountability. These include requiring retail employees to obtain approval for business travel by demonstrating expected goals and returns, as well as itemising all meal expenses.
The measures reflect Amazon’s broader campaign of cost discipline across its operations. Executives are said to repeatedly emphasise thrift in staff meetings, with Jassy urging employees to ask themselves: “What would I do if this was my money?” when making financial decisions.
Such stringent oversight marks part of a larger shift in corporate America, where businesses are scrutinising expenses more closely than in the past. Tech peers such as Meta, Google and Microsoft have tightened performance expectations, though few have introduced reimbursement systems directly tied to individual usage patterns.
Employees interviewed by Business Insider expressed frustration that Amazon’s approach risks straying into micromanagement, fostering anxiety over job security. Several argued that company-provided phones should be considered a standard benefit of employment rather than a privilege subject to usage audits.
An Amazon spokesperson defended the measures, framing them as a return to the company’s roots as a “performance-driven and fast-paced” organisation. They stressed that frugality has always been one of Amazon’s guiding principles.
