Working For Amazon

[Revoltingest]

I gal I know works for Amazon. We discussed the
news accounts of how nasty it is to work there.
Her view surprised me.
She said the public complainers are the lazy ones.
She likes working there. But problem employees
shirk work...something she must address regularly.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I thought of doing gig work there with my truck but...nah.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

I've heard it both ways. Sometimes there are legitimately people who don't pull their own weight and sometimes other employees or managers expect you to do more work than you're contracted or compensated for in the name of being a 'team player.' Which a lot of gen z and younger millenials are standing up to in 'act your wage' movements.

 

[Secret Chief]

I gal I know works for Amazon. We discussed the
news accounts of how nasty it is to work there.
Her view surprised me.
She said the public complainers are the lazy ones.
She likes working there. But problem employees
shirk work...something she must address regularly.

In a local (massive) Amazon distribution centre staff keep empty plastic bottles on them because they don't get the breaks/time to get to the loo when they need to. Hopefully they'll be replaced by robots soon so they can go to the loo when needed.

 

[Twilight Hue]

My humongous beef is Amazon's algorithm.

People are fired now by computer ai. No chance foe grievances and stating your case to defend yourself. Your just gone.

Not a real manager or supervisor whom may or may not be as compassionate as a cold emotionless 'efficient' taskmaster.

It's just unbelievable.


https://news.youexec.com/briefs/ai-can-now-fire-employees-at-amazon

Amazon used an AI to automatically fire low-productivity workers


Amazon uses AI to track and fire its warehouse workers | NextPit

Is this the future of industry?

 

[RestlessSoul]

There have been some unofficial walkouts recently from Amazon depots in the UK. Workers who aren't protected by a trade union, don't generally take that sort of action if their employer is of the reasonable type.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

My humongous beef is Amazon's algorithm.

People are fired now by computer ai. No chance foe grievances and stating your case to defend yourself. Your just gone.

Not a real manager or supervisor whom may or may not be as compassionate as a cold emotionless 'efficient' taskmaster.

It's just unbelievable.


https://news.youexec.com/briefs/ai-can-now-fire-employees-at-amazon

Amazon used an AI to automatically fire low-productivity workers


Amazon uses AI to track and fire its warehouse workers | NextPit

Is this the future of industry?

This has also been how Disney has worked for more than a decade. I have a friend who worked at Disneyworld for a long time, who eventually left because you never could get or give feedback to a human being, just proprietary software. If you had to call out, you clicked a button and never had a place to fill in why. And people laid off almost never heard it from a human being. Just a ui message and an email.

 

[Suave]

I gal I know works for Amazon. We discussed the
news accounts of how nasty it is to work there.
Her view surprised me.
She said the public complainers are the lazy ones.
She likes working there. But problem employees
shirk work...something she must address regularly.

"Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) has an average MSCI ESG rating of BBB. Amazon leads in corporate governance and privacy and data security. However, the e-commerce retailer has an average product carbon footprint and poor scores for labor management and corporate behavior."

www.fool.com/investing/stock-market/types-of-stocks/esg-investing/esg-rating/

 

[Secret Chief]

There have been some unofficial walkouts recently from Amazon depots in the UK. Workers who aren't protected by a trade union, don't generally take that sort of action if their employer is of the reasonable type.

They should join a union.

 

[RestlessSoul]

They should join a union.

Indeed, and if the established unions don’t step up they should form their own, like the mostly immigrant office cleaners in the City of London did. Some employers refuse to recognise unions though, pretty sure Amazon is one of those

 

[Twilight Hue]

I can just imagine what the boardroom meetings are like behind closed, arguably locked doors.

What they actually say and think about the workforce and extracting the most work out of people with the least pay , benefits, and amenities they can possibly muster.

 

[Suave]

I thought of doing gig work there with my truck but...nah.

Natural gas fueled trucks leave a smaller carbon footprint resulting in a better ESG score than would internal combustion engine powered trucks for Amazon.

Amazon takes delivery of IVECO CNG powered trucks - Apex Insight (apex-insight.com)

 

[Secret Chief]

Indeed, and if the established unions don’t step up they should form their own, like the mostly immigrant office cleaners in the City of London did. Some employers refuse to recognise unions though, pretty sure Amazon is one of those

I wouldn't be surprised. The employee still has the right to membership.


"The right to join a union is protected by UK law and an employer cannot discrimate against you for joining one.

All workers have the right to:

• choose to join, or not to join, a trade union;
• decide to leave, or remain a member of, a trade union;
• belong to a trade union of their choice, even if it is different from the one recognised by their employer;
• belong to more than one trade union.

An employer cannot discriminate against you for joining a trade union. You cannot be refused employment, treated unfairly at work or dismissed for joining a trade union.

If your employer does discriminate against you, you may be able to make a complaint to an employment tribunal."



- Your right to join a union | Join UNISON

 

[RestlessSoul]

I can just imagine what the boardroom meetings are like behind closed, arguably locked doors.

What they actually say and think about the workforce and extracting the most work out of people with the least pay , benefits, and amenities they can possibly muster.

In all my long years in British industry, I attended an awful lot of management meetings. Much of the talk was about the drive for greater efficiency, and that always meant the same thing; get less people to do more work for less money. Very rarely was the talk about offering the customers a better product.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I've heard it both ways. Sometimes there are legitimately people who don't pull their own weight and sometimes other employees or managers expect you to do more work than you're contracted or compensated for in the name of being a 'team player.' Which a lot of gen z and younger millenials are standing up to in 'act your wage' movements.

That seems to reflect the many Amazon warehouse workers I've had in my car. Some are just tough snobs who think everyone should always give 100%, some I can tell by their conversations they are the rare ones who would rather not be productive, and some tend to think it's ok while some think it's terrible.
I can say, however, they were absolutely terrific when handling an unexpected issue with a lady in a wheelchair (destination medical office didn't stay open for her and it was getting late), no issues, no problems, they made sure she got somewhere safe even though she wasn't on the clock anymore.
And, a note on that "nobody wants to work" bs, who really, honestly, wants to go work a job? If we're being honest not that many. I hate that line, because who wouldn't prefer being productive in ways that are more meaningful and purposeful to them? Unless you're helping people, working for yourself, or make a passion an income no one really wants to work. And even still, those who can get more of a sense of personal satisfaction from work still have their days and moods and desires amd still you'll them say "I don't wanna work today."

 

[ADigitalArtist]

That seems to reflect the many Amazon warehouse workers I've had in my car. Some are just tough snobs who think everyone should always give 100%, some I can tell by their conversations they are the rare ones who would rather not be productive, and some tend to think it's ok while some think it's terrible.
I can say, however, they were absolutely terrific when handling an unexpected issue with a lady in a wheelchair (destination medical office didn't stay open for her and it was getting late), no issues, no problems, they made sure she got somewhere safe even though she wasn't on the clock anymore.
And, a note on that "nobody wants to work" bs, who really, honestly, wants to go work a job? If we're being honest not that many. I hate that line, because who wouldn't prefer being productive in ways that are more meaningful and purposeful to them? Unless you're helping people, working for yourself, or make a passion an income no one really wants to work. And even still, those who can get more of a sense of personal satisfaction from work still have their days and moods and desires amd still you'll them say "I don't wanna work today."

I know it's something of an overused hot button word but it's hard to describe the prevailing American corporate idea of work as anything less than toxic. Having healthy boundaries, work-homelife separation, or keeping to reasonable hour limits and only working within those hours is seen as lazy, irresponsible, and worth getting denied promotions or even fired over.

"Sorry, I am not available to be contacted outside my normal business hours."
"*grumblehiss.*"

 

[Twilight Hue]

In all my long years in British industry, I attended an awful lot of management meetings. Much of the talk was about the drive for greater efficiency, and that always meant the same thing; get less people to do more work for less money. Very rarely was the talk about offering the customers a better product.

Over here there are purported shareholder laws passed that if a CEO dosent maximize profits he or she could actually go to jail.


Are U.S companies legally obligated to maximize profits for shareholders?


But this assessment traverses the spectrum as being mixed with myth and fact.

If true, it would explain the heartless cold business decisions made by companies like Amazon.

Jury on that one is still out with me weither its actually true or not.

One thing for certain though, is the proliferation of profit centered CEOs and less and less Company centered CEOs causing all the problems for the common worker.

 

[sun rise]

Someone's direct management makes a most serious difference in many places as it did for me over my work years. Bored Panda is full of stories about horrible management actions including tales of "malicious compliance" where an employee did what was asked knowing the result would be terrible and in some cases cause a business to fail.

There are also toxic systems. During my time at a major bank, production changes went from technical people working out a reasonable update schedule to more and more levels of management involved with a massive form to fill out that would be checked by a team in India. The problems due to human nature or uncaught bugs were not solved with being treated as a fallible cog in the machine that management disrespected.

 

[sun rise]

Over here there are purported shareholder laws passed that if a CEO dosent maximize profits he or she could actually go to jail.


Are U.S companies legally obligated to maximize profits for shareholders?


But this assessment traverses the spectrum as being mixed with myth and fact.

If true, it would explain the heartless cold business decisions made by companies like Amazon.

Jury on that one is still out with me weither its actually true or not.

One thing for certain though, is the proliferation of profit centered CEOs and less and less Company centered CEOs causing all the problems for the common worker.

There public benefit corporations who have in their charter mandated goals other than pure profit. public benefit corporation

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I know it's something of an overused hot button word but it's hard to describe the prevailing American corporate idea of work as anything less than toxic. Having healthy boundaries, work-homelife separation, or keeping to reasonable hour limits and only working within those hours is seen as lazy, irresponsible, and worth getting denied promotions or even fired over.

"Sorry, I am not available to be contacted outside my normal business hours."
"*grumblehiss.*"

Yeah. I'm glad I grew out of that mentality of being expected to give it all for work. Giving it all only got me raiseless promotions and trips to the emergency and operating rooms, all for neo-Feudal lords who refuse to assume the risks taken by those under them