diff --git a/packages/backend/Dockerfile b/packages/backend/Dockerfile
index 21ff07deb4..990b4abc84 100644
--- a/packages/backend/Dockerfile
+++ b/packages/backend/Dockerfile
@@ -19,10 +19,8 @@ RUN apt-get update && \
     yarn config set python /usr/bin/python3
 
 # From here on we use the least-privileged `node` user to run the backend.
-WORKDIR /app
-RUN chown node:node /app
 USER node
-
+WORKDIR /app
 
 # This switches many Node.js dependencies to production mode.
 ENV NODE_ENV production