MGT 305 Organizational Behavior - Workplace at Amazon

In the news lately there have been articles discussing the kind of working conditions at Amazon. Several describe the workplace as excessively competitive, efficiency-driven, and not a particularly pleasant place to work. For example, an article in the International New York Times by Jodi Kantor and David Streitfeld (Mandy, August 17, 2015) the headline about Amazon is that it is a "Bruising, Thrilling Workplace". There are also some defensive articles (even one by the president of Amazon-Jeff Brazos). 

Do some research and respond to the following questions: 

1. Is the workplace at Amazon abusive to employees?

2. Why would workers choose to work in this kind of workplace environment?

3. Are some individuals better suited to work there than others? If so, which kinds of individuals.

4. Do you think other companies should emulate this kind of organizational culture. 

Answer

Organizational Behavior

Amazon, one of the most high powered workplace has been the dream company for many to work for. But the current reports from the renowned editorials and the magazines highlighted some of the harsh and inhuman working condition and workplace culture inside the company. The New York Times recently reported a tsunami of discussion on how workers are put in long hours shift, provided few vacations and are constantly pushed to perform and produce (What Amazon's Work Culture Tells Us About Employee Disengagement, 2015). Employees at amazon were found weeping at their desks due to the frequent criticisms at workplace for dragging one another down before the eyes of the manager. The employees have been sacrificing their personal lives for their work and are often pressurized to spend less hours with the family. Employees are furthermore penalized for taking leaves for ailing parents or partners. Employees at the Amazon goes through a very stressful life, goes through depression and end up having sleepless nights (Times, 2018). 75 plus hours weeks are normally allocated to each of the employee and this brutal and abusive work culture furthermore invited the employees towards the use of drugs and alcohol, making the lives of the people working there more hell.

Amazon sets impossibly high level of goals and targets for its employees while the measurement and the monitoring of each and every aspects of the productivity of the individual. The employees still choose to thrive in this inhuman environment and work in Amazon due to the middle tier salary range which is quiet high as compared to the pay scale of the other organization (Rollins & Calabrese, 2016). Those employees who tend to thrive the inhuman environment at the Amazon are generally rewarded with incentives and with the sticks rising in the value. For the other category of employees who burn out their leaves after lot many years of working, are generally compensated with middle class salary range and a satisfied designation which are comparatively higher than that of the rival organization’s.

Individuals who have the burden of work pressure and responsibilities from their personal lives are generally better suited at the workplace than the others. With the allegation of the company having the policy that generally encourages all the employees to send anonymous feedbacks and emails to their supervisors as the one of the dirty ways to sabotage one another of the team and ruthlessly climb up the corporate ladder has been one of the enchanting and attracting facilities to many who tend to survive the harsh workplace culture and the working condition of Amazon (Cunningham-Parmeter, 2016).

The company has been alleged and reported to exploit his employees at all the levels. Apart from the employees t the big air conditioned room as customer service executives, workers working in the warehouse of the company are often forced to work and produce and meet their daily target of productivity in the heat of the summer at the un-air conditioned warehouses without the facility of fresh air circulation from the loading doors that are open which re generally kept shut by the company in the fear of robbery of theft. Many of the workers reported to have collapsed and were taken to the hospital due to the heat strokes.

These ruthless and oppressive treatments to the employees by the company is not only worsening the employee engagement but also affecting the brand image of the company. The company needs to take down the point that employees are the engine of the business and putting too much pressure on the engine will hamper the overall productivity and the aim of the business (What it's really like to work at Amazon, according to employees, 2018). The defense of the management of the company which stated that growing up is just the norms of the business does not focus the apologist version of their reality. Amazon, which aims to recognize itself as one of the eminent corporate citizens and make a positive impact in the world is actually standing at its worst with their shrinking morale and responsibilities. No company in the current business world thus should follow the steps of the Amazon just to expand their business since this would greatly affect the company and its brand image in the log run. Each and every company should provide the basic ethical compulsion and show the minimum amount of generosity to the community and the employees of the company and set itself as a good option for the employees to work for and a meaningful change maker. 

References

Cunningham-Parmeter, K. (2016). From Amazon to Uber: Defining employment in the modern economy. BUL Rev., 96, 1673.

Rollins, T., & Calabrese, A. (2016). Amazon. com. In Global Media Giants (pp. 427-441). Routledge.

Times, T. (2018). Depiction of Amazon Stirs a Debate About Work Culture. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/19/technology/amazon-workplace-reactions-comments.html

What Amazon's Work Culture Tells Us About Employee Disengagement. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/causeintegration/2015/08/21/what-amazons-work-culture-tells-us-about-employee-disengagement/#4443c70d54f0

What it's really like to work at Amazon, according to employees. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.in/What-its-really-like-to-work-at-Amazon-according-to-employees/articleshow/62762659.cms