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Amazon Will Pay You $5,000 to Quit Your Job

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Re: Amazon Will Pay You $5,000 to Quit Your Job

#121

Post by NorthGuy1 »

prbuckley wrote: post #94

I wonder what the chances of labor coordinating and everyone deciding collectively to take the offer at the same time? That would put Amazon in a tough spot and allow labor to negotiate a better deal. Amazon must be very confident that won't happen. Maybe this type of program says more about the weak state of organized labor in the US then it does about breeding a healthy and good company culture. There seems to be s…

This policy is specifically designed to weed out all but the most desperate employees. When you're living paycheque-to-paycheque you can't afford to strike. The reason I pay union dues is to top up that strike fund.

Re: Amazon Will Pay You $5,000 to Quit Your Job

#122

Post by wting »

gxs wrote: post #77
sib wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Note that this offer is for fulfillment center employees, not software engineers.

Thank you for clarifying this, it was a source of confusion for me as well. Not to sound elitist, but what is $5k to a software engineer making 120k/year regardless of the cost of living in Seattle. This makes more sense.

Amazon pays $95k for new grads. SDE3 is around $120k.

Re: Amazon Will Pay You $5,000 to Quit Your Job

#123

Post by sockgrant »

codeonfire wrote: post #107

Most blue collar workers turn over in a year, so this is just PR fluff. Companies can and do write them up at any time for the smallest of mistakes and then fire them, often within the first three months. Any statement made about a manual labor job and "After the first year" is ridiculous as is the tuition plan.

Do you have a source?

Re: Amazon Will Pay You $5,000 to Quit Your Job

#124

Post by dclowd9901 »

lmm wrote: post #47
judk wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's horrible. So you have miserable people doing unmotivated work because they think they are stuck here because they passes up $5 to be here. Or because taking the money makes the feel guilty, but quitting and not taking it makes them feel stupid, so they just plod along feeling angry.

No, that's not how it works. If it was like that, that would make their teams less productive and Amazon wouldn't do it.

You act like they've never made a mistake before.

Re: Amazon Will Pay You $5,000 to Quit Your Job

#125

Post by doktrin »

robzyb wrote: post #117
doktrin wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a vaguely similar anecdote. A former employer of mine withheld bonuses from the entire team since I had recently given my notice. They were quite open about the fact that they would give out the bonuses once I had left, and just didn't want me to get a slice of that particular pie.

Why didn't they just give out bonuses while you were still there, and give you $0?

You'd have to ask them. I'm not a lawyer, and don't have ambitions of being one, but they might have been concerned with such an action appearing punitive.

Re: Amazon Will Pay You $5,000 to Quit Your Job

#126

Post by bobjordan »

NorthGuy1 wrote: post #119
bobjordan wrote: post #38

About 5 years ago during worst of the downturn, I took $20,000 USD option our consulting firm gave and voluntarily quit a $120,000 base salary job. At the time, I thought that job sucked pretty bad and was looking for an out anyhow. I've been an entrepreneur ever since. No quick success story to tell - I've been bootstrapping for 5 years in China and it's been hard. But I've been happier overall focusing everyday on…

Yes, I can see how your experience can be a valuable lesson to warehouse workers.

Haha, well I started out as a warehouse worker at a chemical factory in West Virginia, where I worked for 7 years. We didn't have a parachute policy at the chemical factory, and given my experience with and without a parachute policy, I'd say Amazon's policy creates value on both sides.

Re: Amazon Will Pay You $5,000 to Quit Your Job

#128

Post by crucifiction »

wting wrote: post #122
gxs wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for clarifying this, it was a source of confusion for me as well. Not to sound elitist, but what is $5k to a software engineer making 120k/year regardless of the cost of living in Seattle. This makes more sense.

Amazon pays $95k for new grads. SDE3 is around $120k.

Maybe for base salary, but Amazon is mostly stock (or bonus if you are new) heavy in comp...

Re: Amazon Will Pay You $5,000 to Quit Your Job

#129

Post by bobjordan »

EC1 wrote: post #45
bobjordan wrote: post #38

About 5 years ago during worst of the downturn, I took $20,000 USD option our consulting firm gave and voluntarily quit a $120,000 base salary job. At the time, I thought that job sucked pretty bad and was looking for an out anyhow. I've been an entrepreneur ever since. No quick success story to tell - I've been bootstrapping for 5 years in China and it's been hard. But I've been happier overall focusing everyday on…

What do you do? Why China?

I came to Shenzhen China because I'm a manufacturing guy and this is the place to be for that. Plus the 8% YOY growth and low labor rates here give a better chance for bootstrap success. And finally, yes, I got a hot girlfriend during my visit and wanted to stay a while. She's now my wife.

I first started a technical sourcing/manufacturing/engineering consulting company. Then later started a 2nd company that uses the experience and engineers in my consulting company, but instead of consulting we just do direct sales of custom designed products and tooling, like a virtual ODM.

Re: Amazon Will Pay You $5,000 to Quit Your Job

#130

Post by ghshephard »

lsc wrote: post #112
jordn wrote: post #4

The first (and stated) effect of this policy is to weed out the unmotivated employees. However, Dan Ariely has explained that the secondary effect is potentially more powerful. For those that choose to stay, they will forever live with their past action of having turned down lots of money to work there. So, when they're having a crappy day and hating their job, they're probably thinking "why didn't I take the money a…

>The first (and stated) effect of this policy is to weed out the unmotivated employees. I would argue the opposite. This policy is going to get rid of the most ambitious of your lower-paid folks, leaving you with people who have loyalty - and those who don't feel they have other options. the "lifers" who want to stay with your company long-term, even at the cost of their long-term career. I mean, those people can be…

From the literature, Amazon contracts out it's warehouse duties to fulfillment companies. I'd be interested if anyone knew if Amazon had any direct employees (other than Sr. Management) that worked in the warehouses.
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