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Amazon warehouse workers 'peed in bottles' fearing punishment for taking breaks

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Re: Amazon warehouse workers 'peed in bottles' fearing punishment for taking breaks

#51

Post by timdorr »

aylmao wrote: post #14
gorbot wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not all employees are treated poorly. Yeah, the stock vest is back loaded, but they typically give cash upfront, which you could just turn around and buy stocks with..

> which you could just turn around and buy stocks with. Which just benefits the company even further? Edit: if you downvote please reply. How will I correct my stance if I get no feedback? I'm not sure why I'm getting down voted. Edit: Thanks for the comments. I did assume this meant Amazon stock. Didn't think my comment sounded so combative until I was told.

If you're buying AMZN on the market, that's coming from other investors, not the company itself. It's already sold that stock (the IPO was back in 96) and benefited directly from it at that time.

Re: Amazon warehouse workers 'peed in bottles' fearing punishment for taking breaks

#52

Post by IncRnd »

aylmao wrote: post #25
ggregoire wrote: post #17

How long before Amazon replaces all the warehouse workers with machines? 5 years?

If they're going to be replaced by robots soon, isn't that a good reason to not fear spending on them, since they are a short-term cost?

Nope. That's exactly why money isn't spent on people. There is no reason for Amazon to invest in them.

I'm not a fan of people thinking they will lose their job for taking breaks, but why would Amazon invest money in something that may go away in 5 years? They'll invest in the R&D of the replacement.

Re: Amazon warehouse workers 'peed in bottles' fearing punishment for taking breaks

#53

Post by jonknee »

aylmao wrote: post #32
sremani wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Retail in general is thin-margin. That is why you see Amazon try out all sorts of things from cloud to videos, because their core is so thin margin, that any non-core looks more like an opportunity rather than spreading out resources, say in contrast to a Google or Facebook, who have solid cores high margins.

AWS has pretty good margins afaik. They have the money to make huge acquisitions and invest in planes, drones, etc. They have the money to treat their employees decently.

And I doubt the AWS staff is peeing in bottles to make their numbers.

Re: Amazon warehouse workers 'peed in bottles' fearing punishment for taking breaks

#54

Post by ghostbrainalpha »

kelukelugames wrote: post #7
notheguyouthink wrote: post #2

Are Amazon's margins razor thin? I'm trying to understand what compels them to be so toxic in their work environment. Especially compared to the people I know who work at Costco, I struggle to understand why Costco treats employees so well, and Amazon treats their employees so poorly. It's really sad, regardless.

Bezos. Jeff Bezos is the reason why Amazon treats workers they way they do. Compared to other tech giants, Amazon is incredibly anti-employee. Look at how their stocks vest. I worked at Microsoft during Balmer's reign. The founder/CEO's attitude dictates the work culture. And causes harm if it's bad. I live in Seattle and often hear this joke: Being an Amazon customer is the best. An investor is great. An employee no…

I don't know about that joke anymore. Being an Amazon customer used to be great, but the deliveries are bordering on ridiculously horrible now.

I order something on Prime, then it doesn't show up when I expect it to, I get no notification of any delays, and then when I log in to see what's going on they have changed the original expected date so I can't even see what I was originally promised unless I took a screen shot.

This has been the case on 2 thirds of my deliveries over the past 3 months. And I'm not even going into the sham that is 3rd party selling.

Re: Amazon warehouse workers 'peed in bottles' fearing punishment for taking breaks

#55

Post by travbrack »

atrexler wrote: post #23

Long-haul truckers have been doing this for decades for the same reason-- they don't have time to pull over and use the restroom-- and no one is upset about that. I'm sure there are many industries, white and blue collar, where similar norms are expressed. Edit to add: I'm not endorsing the practice in any industry at all, just pointing out that its not a unique problem to Amazon. My comment would have been better ph…

Stopping an 18 wheeler loaded with freight for N minutes is a lot more expensive than a single distribution plant employee not packing boxes for N minutes.

Re: Amazon warehouse workers 'peed in bottles' fearing punishment for taking breaks

#56

Post by LinuxBender »

matte_black wrote: post #35
LinuxBender wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh I totally agree. I'm just suggesting that perhaps this also affects the recipients of the packages.

You know how many nasty germs a package comes in contact with even before an Amazon employee touches it and long after it’s shipped? Trillions , with a t.

I don't think that makes it safer to touch the package after peeing in a bottle. Employees are required to wash their hands after using the restroom. I believe that state law may even require it.

Re: Amazon warehouse workers 'peed in bottles' fearing punishment for taking breaks

#57

Post by j45 »

notheguyouthink wrote: post #2

Are Amazon's margins razor thin? I'm trying to understand what compels them to be so toxic in their work environment. Especially compared to the people I know who work at Costco, I struggle to understand why Costco treats employees so well, and Amazon treats their employees so poorly. It's really sad, regardless.

The measure of innovation and progress is how a society treats it's most vulnerable members.

With Amazon, it's hard to imagine all the smart people that are being paid well, and used indirectly to squeeze the folks on the "factory floor", however unintentional.

Re: Amazon warehouse workers 'peed in bottles' fearing punishment for taking breaks

#58

Post by schwarzmx »

aylmao wrote: post #14
gorbot wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not all employees are treated poorly. Yeah, the stock vest is back loaded, but they typically give cash upfront, which you could just turn around and buy stocks with..

> which you could just turn around and buy stocks with. Which just benefits the company even further? Edit: if you downvote please reply. How will I correct my stance if I get no feedback? I'm not sure why I'm getting down voted. Edit: Thanks for the comments. I did assume this meant Amazon stock. Didn't think my comment sounded so combative until I was told.

They didn't say to buy Amazon stocks.

Re: Amazon warehouse workers 'peed in bottles' fearing punishment for taking breaks

#59

Post by j45 »

ghostbrainalpha wrote: post #54
kelukelugames wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bezos. Jeff Bezos is the reason why Amazon treats workers they way they do. Compared to other tech giants, Amazon is incredibly anti-employee. Look at how their stocks vest. I worked at Microsoft during Balmer's reign. The founder/CEO's attitude dictates the work culture. And causes harm if it's bad. I live in Seattle and often hear this joke: Being an Amazon customer is the best. An investor is great. An employee no…

I don't know about that joke anymore. Being an Amazon customer used to be great, but the deliveries are bordering on ridiculously horrible now. I order something on Prime, then it doesn't show up when I expect it to, I get no notification of any delays, and then when I log in to see what's going on they have changed the original expected date so I can't even see what I was originally promised unless I took a screen s…

Deliveries are not done by Amazon where I live - it's usually 3rd party.

Re: Amazon warehouse workers 'peed in bottles' fearing punishment for taking breaks

#60

Post by jonknee »

j45 wrote: post #39
rando444 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Costco employees interact with customers.. Having a healthy interaction with customers is important, and treating employees well goes a long way in helping grow a customer base. Customers will never interact with the person that boxes their amazon shipment. Those individuals are not seen as people, but just a necessity to continue operations.

Costco (retail) appears to treat their employees much better - much higher base wages, regular increases in wage, benefits, etc. Also know a past Costco corporate employee and only had a positive impression.

Retail positions are different than warehouse positions. It's like how UPS drivers make bank, but the guys who load the trucks break their backs for scratch (even with union representation!).
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