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Jeff Bezos’ megagiant "toy" has been all over the headlines in the past years, for everything but a good reason. With more and more Amazon workers coming forward to share their stories of working for what has now acquired the name of the most inhumane company out there, it’s clear that many of the things that happen in and at Amazon will never get to be seen by customers.
The problematic aspects of Amazon and the company’s treatment of their workers came to light after the coronavirus hit. The New York Times reported that the company did not disclose its coronavirus cases to New York City, as there were no records that show it, although the company officials publicly said that it was disclosing confirmed cases to health officials.
Moreover, Amazon also failed to report the number of cases to the workers at JFK8 and other warehouses. Many workers worried whether notifications about “individuals” testing positive meant two or 22.
“Amazon continued to track every minute of most warehouse workers’ shifts, from how fast they packed merchandise to how long they paused,” The New York Times reported. “If productivity flagged, Amazon’s computers assumed the worker was to blame. Early in the pandemic, the online retailer paused its firing of employees for low output, but that change was not announced clearly at JFK8, so some workers still feared that moving too slowly would cost them their livelihoods.”
And while Amazon was boasting its record job-creation numbers in times of worldwide pandemic, scooping up a whopping 350,000 new workers, many recruits lasted just weeks, if not days. Most of them are hired through a computer screening, without proper conversation or vetting that usually comes with hiring procedures.
According to Mr. Niekerk, the former HR vice president who retired in 2016 after nearly 17 years at the company, it all comes down to Bezos’ inherently negative view of people. “Amazon’s founder didn’t want hourly workers to stick around for long, viewing 'a large, disgruntled' work force as a threat. What he would say is that our nature as humans is to expend as little energy as possible to get what we want or need.” He convicted people of being inherently lazy and that idea penetrated the business, making the company structure to get the most out of its employees.
Previously, we spoke with Austin, an ex-Amazon employee who worked there for about 2 years. "I worked every position besides the manager, all shifts, days and nights," he said. "I decided to leave after my mental health was deteriorating due to being locked basically in this giant steel building with fluorescent lighting."
