Amazon Employees Cry At Their Desk And Practically Combust

Megalith said:
At Amazon, workers are encouraged to tear apart one another's ideas in meetings.
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Folks may not like it, but it's a good way to prevent groupthink. Which can lead to significant problems all it's own.
 
ocellaris said:
Amazon's common goal is making sure I get my $5.99 pack of kitchen sponges in less than 48 hours after I order.

There are always going to be better and worse jobs. What happens at Amazon doesn't sound too inhumane compared to other warehouse jobs. I have some friends that have worked in retail distribution centers, the work isn't glamorous. They don't have AC either, and they need to bust their ass to hit performance goals.
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you haven't RTFA because it's not about the warehouse workers who pick the orders from shelves.
 
I had a buddy that worked at Amazon on a team to completely rewrite their AWS and he only lasted 2 years. It was such a bad experience for him after that when Nike scooped him up a couple of days later, he only lasted there 6 weeks because of the PTSD fallout he had from Amazon and it trickled to another 2 more companies until he finally got his head straight.
 
Shit like this is SOP in many fields. Amazon attracts attention because it's huge. Working atmosphere described in that article fits many other industries. I think many of you are disillusioned with what many people in blue collar jobs deal with. Working in 100f heat? I do that daily. Somedays 110f in the winter drops to 49-50f.
 
ocellaris said:
I've worked in a call center that had 100% turnover (average) in just under six months. Anyone there for multiple years was more often than not a team lead or worked in an escalation queue.
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I worked in a call center making sales calls for a fortune 500 company. The only position that turned over more than the sales reps were the front line managers. In the year I was there, we went through four managers. I have no idea how the company stays in business.
 
jpm100 said:
The horrible dungeon that is suppose to be Amazon, I started to wonder if it is a PR campaign against Amazon's owner, probably because he doesn't have the right politics. Then I start to think that's a little paranoid, then I read posts like this and don't feel paranoid anymore.
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Except for you know all those descriptions of it actually being horrible which don't touch on his politics in of themselves which you're ignoring. Maybe you're problem is you have some sort of mental block that allows you to ignore the suffering of others. Sociopaths have that problem. Not saying you are one but maybe you should see a doctor or something since you definitely show a lack of empathy.
 
John721 said:
Folks may not like it, but it's a good way to prevent groupthink. Which can lead to significant problems all it's own.
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Its also a good way to create a hostile work place where everyone hates each other and focuses on tearing each other down rather than accomplishing a goal or doing actual work.

There are also more effective and less destructive ways to prevent group think and any good VP or manager would know how to do it.
 
Wrench said:
Shit like this is SOP in many fields. Amazon attracts attention because it's huge. Working atmosphere described in that article fits many other industries. I think many of you are disillusioned with what many people in blue collar jobs deal with. Working in 100f heat? I do that daily. Somedays 110f in the winter drops to 49-50f.
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You also probably aren't working at their hectic and purposefully unsustainable pace which is designed to wear people down. Strange how you missed that part.

Or the other stuff about how they're monitored constantly in a panopticon like setting or have their breaks nickle and dimed away.

You're also probably getting paid more than these guys too.
 
I loved working for Amazon. I was there for years (until I learned that selling on Amazon is more profitable than working for them) and met the most interesting and intelligent ppl there. Work is normal work except for the holidays and no one I ever saw cried about anything. There was one manager we could have done without but where will you not have at least one douchebag?
This article is some propaganda and does not reflect reality.
 
ocellaris said:
Amazon's common goal is making sure I get my $5.99 pack of kitchen sponges in less than 48 hours after I order.

There are always going to be better and worse jobs. What happens at Amazon doesn't sound too inhumane compared to other warehouse jobs. I have some friends that have worked in retail distribution centers, the work isn't glamorous. They don't have AC either, and they need to bust their ass to hit performance goals.
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Meh. A job is what you make of it. Either you can handle the stress or not.
I work from home even the stress from my job causes me to think about chunking it and doing something self-employed.
 
When I worked at the Amazon call center, it sucked. The other employees were great. But, it was just typical call center BS. Didn't care much for it.

The Amazon data center was excellent. The other employees were great. The managers were excellent and were nothing like the article says. But, there were horror stories from some other employees that have been with the company for a long time. So, it's not all great. I just think they had some great managers there.
 
mesyn191 said:
So long as the job market remains trash you'll see such policies continue or even be made worse over time.

The guy who owns Amazon hates even the idea of worker welfare or fair pay and believes competition is supposed to automagically solve all problems so why not create a work environment where you have to competition harder everything will work out and better since its automagic right?
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The "guy who owns Amazon" is a far left liberal who even agreed to buy the Washington Post to ensure it's pro-Democrat editorial policies remained in place.

He's the kind of left winger who claps and cheers when buzzwords like "income inequality" and "workplace diversity" are spoken at $100,000/plate political fundraiser.
 
Skirge01 said:
Well, this is certainly and interesting counterpoint. No clue what parts of either article are true now.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/amazonians-response-inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-nick-ciubotariu
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Probably both have truths and lies. Let's be honest. If you hate a company, you'll spin it in a bad light. If you love a company, you'll spin it in a good light. Some of those linkedin statements were around the lines of the NYT article lied, because I think what they were stating makes Amazon a horrible company is what makes it a great company. There was definitely some Stockholm syndrome in that article.

But it's not just the warehouse people. Amazon has a terrible reputation as a burn and churner in it's engineering department. Now, I don't work for Amazon, but apparently they use stacked ranking. Basically, stacked ranking is a bell curve where you're ranked against every other employee who holds your position. It doesn't matter if the person is not even in your division. What this means, is that if you're at the bottom of the ranks, even if you do your job, you'll be considered a cancerous employee and let go. At the same time, you need to constantly be getting promoted, or you're let go. So, it gets harder and harder to advance until you're eventually fired, or quit and leave for greener pastures. Some people view this as raising the bar in capabilities, while other people view this as lowering the bar, because while you did eliminate 30% of your bottom performers, who's to say that the new employees coming in are any better? This adds a lot of poisonous corporate backstabbing in my opinion (which of course the higher ups are immune too, living in their gated palaces immune to lowly worker grievances). It takes a specific type of psychopathic personality disorder to succeed in this type of environment imho.

tetris42 said:
Sure it is, as long as the qualified applicants outnumber the jobs available, you can abuse employees indefinitely.
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And that's why they can do what they do. People want jobs, and there's always a fresh batch of college grads who view Amazon as great for their resume. Just remember though, that the average tenure there is only around one year.
 
They pay well and expect a lot. Feel free to work elsewhere if you don't like it.

I used to sell to Amazon. I'd get emailed at 2am and responses were expected to be pretty much immediate. I put up with it b/c they were one of my biggest customers. If they were a small fry I would have fired them. This is business...the big guys get away with this sort of thing because they can throw their weight around. Don't like it? Plenty of low-stress jobs at the post office or as a greeter at the local Wal-Mart.

I have a good friend working there now (HQ). As we both served as Marines we have a different perspective on "workplace stress" than most people. For him, sure it's drinking out of the fire hose all the time but he revels in it. Those that show up and expect it to be like a zany workplace sitcom don't last. Second prize is a set of steak knives...
 
Frankie...I speak of the white collar types at Amazon HQ which, no coincidence, were the focus of the article.

Their warehouse jobs seem pretty on par with others out there. I've done warehouse work. It's either too hot or too cold every day, and you have to bust your butt (unless your dad owns the company).
 
GlowingGhoul said:
The "guy who owns Amazon" is a far left liberal who even agreed to buy the Washington Post to ensure it's pro-Democrat editorial policies remained in place.
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Bezos is a libertarian who has privately expressed view points that make him a borderline anarcho-capitalist. He keeps that part out of the public press and instead pushes social views which make some low info. types think he is a liberal. When it comes to money, taxes, and regulation policy he is the complete opposite though.

LOL if you think WaPo is pro-Democrat. They're a half step above the Nat. Enquirer in terms of quality these days and jump on whatever story gets clicks. Bezos bought them because it made financial sense in the long run. Thats it. Pro-Democrat news source would be something like Democratic Underground. Actual Left news would be something like Jacobin.
 
hkcavalier said:
Their warehouse jobs seem pretty on par with others out there. I've done warehouse work. It's either too hot or too cold every day, and you have to bust your butt (unless your dad owns the company).
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Except they aren't. They've been caught red handed going out of their way to treat their workers like crap and setting impossible quotas far above industry standards.

If you're not going to read the actual articles and/or information in the thread maybe posting isn't for you?
 
I actually cancelled my Prime and deleted my Amazon apps.

This isn't some "hit piece" from a few disgruntled employees. The authors of the article interviewed 100 Amazon employees, both current and former. They wouldn't make Bezos available for interview, either, so what could they do?

Honestly, this is something people of any political stripe should be able to agree with. Seeking to destroy any kind of decent work environment and turn the majority of employees into slaves, practically, doesn't benefit anyone except for the few at the top who get to play golf instead of deal with...micro-management doesn't even seem to do justice to the practices described. Nano-management?
 
ocellaris said:
If you knew what some people at FedEx go through when they own their own truck and route you wouldn't even want packages brought to your house. I don't know how bad UPS gets, but owning a FedEx truck and router can be an absolute nightmare.
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That's just fed ex home, formerly RPS. Fed ex ground (i believe) and express (for certain) are not the same thing, and don't work the same way.
 
raz-0 said:
That's just fed ex home, formerly RPS. Fed ex ground (i believe) and express (for certain) are not the same thing, and don't work the same way.
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FedEx Ground is what was once RPS, and yes, they do subcontract their trucks and routes.
 
It's a huge issue that should have been solved long ago. When the population of certain states doubles you don't have to ask why your minimum wages aren't going up. Increased competition to that makes your labor worthless, if you even end up having a job to make wages at all. I know a few minorities who told me they'd vote for Trump based on his economic improvements alone.
 
TwistedAegis said:
I actually cancelled my Prime and deleted my Amazon apps.

This isn't some "hit piece" from a few disgruntled employees. The authors of the article interviewed 100 Amazon employees, both current and former. They wouldn't make Bezos available for interview, either, so what could they do?

Honestly, this is something people of any political stripe should be able to agree with. Seeking to destroy any kind of decent work environment and turn the majority of employees into slaves, practically, doesn't benefit anyone except for the few at the top who get to play golf instead of deal with...micro-management doesn't even seem to do justice to the practices described. Nano-management?
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Good for you. I seldom see anyone vote with their wallet. That's exactly as it should be.
 
These guys don't even know what hard conditions are. Come load trucks at the ups hub I'm at and cry me a river about your Amazon woes.
 
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