I really don't understand this either. I worked a wonderful 12 hour shift once, switching between days and nights every 2 weeks. Some weeks I had 5 days off, it was fantastic, and the frequency of day/night allowed for normal weekends.
Amazon Is Forcing Its Warehouse Workers into Brutal 'Megacycle' Shifts
111–120 of 129 posts
Re: Amazon Is Forcing Its Warehouse Workers into Brutal 'Megacycle' Shifts
#112I actually left an early job because it didn't offer a 4x10. 4x10 is amazing. Your work days are your work days, but the extra day off is amazing. You can actually go do stuff. My own view - everyone should switch to 4x10 or at least have it as an option. Now I'm working crazy hours so all a dream anyways these days. Note 4x10 shifts are not new in warehousing (or even in mfg).
Agreed. I worked 4-10's before, and I looooved it. It was awesome. I had Wednesdays and weekends off.
Re: Amazon Is Forcing Its Warehouse Workers into Brutal 'Megacycle' Shifts
#113Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sure, a 4x10 would be workable if the hours fit roughly into a traditional household schedule. But 4x 1:20a-11:50a shifts per week would make it impossible to get your kids ready for school. And you'd be sleeping when it's time for dinner, or homework. Not to mention having time for a relationship with your spouse. Etc, etc. The shift they outline in the article sounds miserable.
I've come to realize that if Amazon does something, it gets a ton of coverage. 4x10 shifts are not a new concept. This article makes it sound like what is pretty standard warehouse stuff is a new diabolical amazon plan to create the soul crushing "megacycle". And working nights is not new. Anyone who has had to deal with 24x7 staffing (police, guard, nursing, flying etc etc) has had come up with approaches for night…
It’s suddenly telling employees “take the megacycle or be unemployed” that is soul crushing and diabolical.
Re: Amazon Is Forcing Its Warehouse Workers into Brutal 'Megacycle' Shifts
#114Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are you really coming on HN to try and blame immigrants for this? Do you know the kind of contributions immigrants have had in this industry? Do you know how important open immigration has been to the rise of tech?
There are different kinds of labor from immigrant populations, one is mostly brawn, the other is the one that brings brains (and conversely may cause brain drain in the source country). That said, China has been successful (there are others) and have achieved success without this input. So I don’t think it’s a necessary ingredient. That said, talent improves economies. Imported labor (as well as automation) drives do…
On the contrary, China's success comes from exactly this form of migrant exploitation, only internal to the country, and codified by law and culture into a two-caste system. Urban citizens get one set of opportunities, rural citizens get another. Legislation and opportunities overwhelmingly favor the urban citizens, and massive wealth transfer occurs between the two groups.
"Today, holders of rural hukou are ostracized and discriminated against by their fellow citizens, and have little choice but to take on the most dangerous, demanding, and low-paying jobs that those with urban hukou wouldn’t dare involve themselves in."
https://www.diplomaticourier.com/posts/chinas-caste-system-h...
Re: Amazon Is Forcing Its Warehouse Workers into Brutal 'Megacycle' Shifts
#115If there was ever a case for a humanoid robot it would be for packing packages in a warehouse. Same for agriculture harvesting: the back breaking nature of picking strawberries could be done by a robot with hands that have the same dexterity and nuance as a human.
I only mention humanoid mistakenly. It’s really I guess just the fine motor skills a human typically has and the smarts to make decisions seemingly ad-hoc and such.
Re: Amazon Is Forcing Its Warehouse Workers into Brutal 'Megacycle' Shifts
#116American culture is optimized for consumers. When you're a consumer, it's a great thing: customer service, return policies, payment methods, and the entire process of buying stuff is leaps and bounds above somewhere like the European Union. When you're a worker, though, no one particularly cares about you. If a CEO can squeeze more profit out of his workforce by forcing them to work odd hours at the drop of a hat, he…
> customer service, return policies, payment methods, and the entire process of buying stuff is leaps and bounds above somewhere like the European Union. Nonsense. Buying stuff is just as easy here as in the US and my experience of return policies is that they are more generous here. Plus you have a much longer legally enforced warranties. What payment methods do you have in the US that we don't? Apart from cheques t…
I'm constantly amazed how photographer colleagues in the USA order three lenses at the same time, evaluate them for copy variation and send two of them back. That's simply not possible in the UK for example.
Re: Amazon Is Forcing Its Warehouse Workers into Brutal 'Megacycle' Shifts
#117US is reverting to early 20th century labor market norms, thanks to 'gig' economy and megacorps subverting unions. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/22/tech/amazon-nlrb-union-el... Only thing missing is union-busting Pinkerton thugs... https://www.npr.org/2020/11/30/940196997/amazon-reportedly-h...
As a gig worker I hope it stays, gig work has been a massive quality of life improvement for me. I think if the unions want to compete with us that's fine but the state shouldn't get to pick the winner.
> As a gig worker I hope it stays, gig work has been a massive quality of life improvement for me. I think if the unions want to compete with us that's fine but the state shouldn't get to pick the winner.
The fact that you registered a brand new account to post what might be interpreted as a blatant pro-exploitation message doesn't help your argument.
Re: Amazon Is Forcing Its Warehouse Workers into Brutal 'Megacycle' Shifts
#118Earlier quoted context omitted.
As a brand new account can you prove you're actually a gig worker, and not some PR firm working for Uber to manage the online conversation about this topic?
What are you expecting as proof exactly? Government issued ID and payment from a gig?
Say what you may, but let's not pretend that there are no corporate shill accounts being used throughout all social media, specially when it's about posting pro-corporate messages with content that's borderline enthusiastic about an issue which is conflated with worker exploitation.
Re: Amazon Is Forcing Its Warehouse Workers into Brutal 'Megacycle' Shifts
#119Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sure, a 4x10 would be workable if the hours fit roughly into a traditional household schedule. But 4x 1:20a-11:50a shifts per week would make it impossible to get your kids ready for school. And you'd be sleeping when it's time for dinner, or homework. Not to mention having time for a relationship with your spouse. Etc, etc. The shift they outline in the article sounds miserable.
I've come to realize that if Amazon does something, it gets a ton of coverage. 4x10 shifts are not a new concept. This article makes it sound like what is pretty standard warehouse stuff is a new diabolical amazon plan to create the soul crushing "megacycle". And working nights is not new. Anyone who has had to deal with 24x7 staffing (police, guard, nursing, flying etc etc) has had come up with approaches for night…
> 4x10 shifts are not a new concept.
This sort of argument sounds like a red herring.
It's irrelevant if a company pioneers exploitative working conditions. What's relevant is that the company is imposing exploitative working conditions.
Isn't the whole point of society to ensure everyone has the right to a decent living? Why are we arguing about the virtues of forcing a Dickensian work cycle?
Re: Amazon Is Forcing Its Warehouse Workers into Brutal 'Megacycle' Shifts
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
There are different kinds of labor from immigrant populations, one is mostly brawn, the other is the one that brings brains (and conversely may cause brain drain in the source country). That said, China has been successful (there are others) and have achieved success without this input. So I don’t think it’s a necessary ingredient. That said, talent improves economies. Imported labor (as well as automation) drives do…
On the contrary, China's success comes from exactly this form of migrant exploitation, only internal to the country, and codified by law and culture into a two-caste system. Urban citizens get one set of opportunities, rural citizens get another. Legislation and opportunities overwhelmingly favor the urban citizens, and massive wealth transfer occurs between the two groups. "Today, holders of rural hukou are ostraciz…
What China isn’t doing is importing labor. When it does it makes sure to get the good end of the deal: a foreign concern wants the Chinese market? Ok, invest, give us access to IP, show our people how to make the enterprise work. Then they copy once they have leaned.
Not many expats get to become citizens of China despite the wealth and power they have contributed to China. Chine see it as them doing _you_ a favor, not the other way round.
If China were like the US you’d have people from all over Asia streaming in to cash in on a growing economy, instead they make sure this wealth is spread amongst themselves rather than putting the poor against others willing to work under poorer conditions.