Amazon And Its People Practices
Amazon Must Change Its People Practices
Amazon is in the news for a wrong reason!
Business Today reports: The NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) took suo motu cognisance of a media report that stated that at one of Amazon India’s warehouses “a 24-year-old worker was asked to pledge that they would not take toilet or water breaks until they finished unloading packages from six trucks, each measuring 24 feet long, after their team’s 30-minute tea break had ended”. The commission stated that if the contents of the report are true then this tantamounts to serious human rights violation of the workers as well as violation of labour laws and guidelines by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment.
The same report further states: “Amazon India, in its response, had earlier told Business Today, “The safety and wellbeing of our employees and associates is our top priority. We’re confident the infrastructure and facilities at our fulfilment centres are industry leading, designed to ensure a safe and comfortable working environment for our employees and associates.”
This episode raises important questions, so let us examine Amazon’s record.
That takes us to the book ‘Hired – Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain’ (2018, Atlantic Books) and its author James Bloodworth. He decided to find out the reality of the precariat and worked in four well known organizations, Amazon being one of them. He recorded his experience in his book, and it tells us the reality at the warehouses; Amazon calls them ‘fulfilment centres’. (Readers may like to read the book review of Hired in The Guardian)
James Bloodworth, the author, notes this in his preface: (I Quote) “ … while identity is a subject that is often talked about in today’s world, few comprehend the extent to which this is often bound up with an individuals’ work – something that is especially true of men. In other words, the indignity of many contemporary low-paid jobs is about more than material poverty alone; to be poorly paid is bad enough – but to effectively be denied the right to take a toilet break (74 per cent of Amazon warehouse workers are afraid to take toilet breaks because of high productivity targets, according to the group Organise) is an appalling assault on a person’s sense of dignity and self-respect.” (Unquote)
You will readily see what happened at Manesar was nothing new; it was happening in Britain in 2018 or earlier. And it was also happening in India; it just got noticed. It is happening at all their warehouses (fulfilment centres) across the world. Amazon employs 1,521,000 employees (2024 Q1) and I believe that this figure does not fully represent the workers including those engaged through contractors. The magnitude of the problem at the global level should be clear.
The toxic culture at Amazon will be evident from this quote from the book: (I Quote) “According to a recent survey of Amazon’s staff by the GMB Union:
- 91 per cent would not recommend working for Amazon to a friend.
- 70 per cent of staff felt that they were given disciplinary points unfairly.
- 89 per cent felt exploited.
- 78 per cent felt their breaks were too short.
- 71 per cent reported that they walked more than ten miles a day at work. (Unquote)
Why did not workers (in Britain) go to the Court? ‘Employment tribunal fees were introduced in July 2013, meaning that a disgruntled employee must now fork out up to GBP 1,200 to bring a case to a tribunal.’
There was a large group of migrant workers (at Rugeley, Britain) at Amazon where James Bloodworth worked.
Compare the situation in our country: We have migrant workers, typically from UP and Bihar, working on such jobs in our country. They must send money home. Going to Court may be relatively easy, there are many lawyers who would be willing to take up a worker’s case, but how long it takes to get the decision? And paying the lawyer’s fees will be beyond his reach. Effectively it is ‘justice denied.’
James Bloodworth writes, (I Quote) “Rules as I have already stated, were not really rules at all at Amazon. A good example of what I mean by this was the time allotted for break. Over the course of a normal day, workers were entitled to one break of half an hour and two ten-minute breaks. The half-hour break was unpaid, but the shorter breaks were paid. The ten-minute breaks were actually fifteen minutes in total, but an extra five minutes (which you were not paid for) were tacked on to the ten in order to account for walking from the further reaches of the warehouse to the canteen. In practice it took seven minutes to walk from the back of the warehouse (ten football pitches, remember) and through the airport styled security scanners to the break area. When the two minutes it took to get back to the pick desk at the end of the break were factored in, the ‘fifteen-minute break’ totalled about six minutes.”
Poverty compels people to accept precarious work. While the National Human Rights Commission has acted promptly and intervened, there are issues which we should think about:
- Why is it that in our country complaints about precarious work are rarely (if at all) made to the Labour Commissioner? Does it show complete lack of trust in the Government machinery eyes of common workers?
- Why unions are now behaving like sleeping beauty who is ‘awakened from a charmed sleep by the kiss of the prince (the capitalist) who is her true love?’
- While we should applaud initiative of the National Human Rights Commission to investigate, can Amazon be tamed? It is a big monster which can influence the Government response if not the policies.
We should not be surprised if Amazon somehow kills the story of NHRC’s decision, it is killing the human spirit anyway.
PS: Read the Amazon Story where Amazon admitted to workplace safety lapses. It was published on July 6, 2024
Pic courtesy: Umit Yildirim on Unsplash
Vivek S Patwardhan
“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”/ All work copyrighted.
Very well exposed Vivek.
The problem is a take it or leave it attitude as these are”prestigious “jobs people put up with all this for false prestige with .Back home in Darbhanga or Mungher in Bihar there is brag value and dowry stakes to contend with
Notwithstanding the fact that I am a total fan of Vivek this really is a masterpiece
Notwithstanding the fact that I am a total fan of Vivek,this really is a masterpiece
Dear Vivek
Recently I heard a experiemced staffer of ICICI bank complaints about being transfered and called the work culture toxic. I was more surprised when I read te commeents about agreement to his comment that ICICI bank culture is toxic.
A friends daughter has joined another reputed Bank in sales …she thought she was good in sales and marketing and has complaint bitterly about the toxicity in the work culture….words like rape abusive language is common. She is expected to work 14 hours and no breaks on sat / sunday.
In both the above cases, they can quit / file a official complaint but have not done. In first case he has used social
media and in second case she came to me for advice.
Amazon fullfillment centre employees are the bottom of the pyramid …..if the white collar cannot protest where cannwe expect them to ?
Second I do think the investors and PE funds etc are putting excessive pressure on cost efficiemcies higher returns and faster growth. Perhaps this
Has led to increase stress and toxicity ??
Am watching Hitler on Netflix…pls watch. ..shows what hooliganism can lead to. Different take.
You have raised the right question and thought
Vivek
Indeed a sad state of affairs
All organizations…and organized workers also….exploit unorganized n contract n temp workers is well known
But no toilet breaks is taking it to a diff level altogether
When we were in active HR roles one tried to fight for a limiting of the temp staffing….typically it got restricted to 25 30% of total strength on shopfloor
That also is bad but sliwly this creeped upwards n by the time i retired in 2014 nos like 60 or 70 were common
Now a new trend has started that even large corporations n even MNCs pride themselves on having 100% of labour on contract
Possibly human rights violation started long ago n now this example
GOK where all this will end….hope not the Maruti Manesar or Africa way of lawlessness
India is in a very sorry state.
There are many who are like Amazon HR or want to be like them.
No matter how this ends, I am very happy that it is public and visible. Here is another one which needless to say would not have happened in their home country.
https://www.livemint.com/news/hinduja-brothers-sentenced-to-jail-breakdown-of-charges-against-the-indian-born-richest-family-in-britain-11719026736119.html
The Middle East is famous for routine human rights abuse when it comes to poor workers and domestic help. There is no recourse to justice for those poor people.
In India what happened to so-called ‘Migrant Labour’, during Covid, is a mark of shame on the foreheads of all those involved at all levels. That includes the total callous, heartless attitude of our so-called ‘Middle-class’.
As for Unions, I share your lament about what has happened to Labor Unions, post liberalization of the Indian market/economy. Long gone are the stances, especially of the Communists, based on ideology and justice. Yes, they were excessive sometimes (?) and unreasonable, but they were incorruptible and not for sale. They were not racist or communal. They agitated for the benefit of labour as they understood it. We (you and I) stood against them as representatives of management in the days before they invented the silly term – Human Resources – as Industrial Relations Managers. But we stood in an atmosphere of mutual respect. We didn’t agree with each other, but we respected each other and understood the principles we each stood on.
Not any more, as you say, Union maidens awakening from a stupor by the kiss of their first love – the capitalist – whose lapdogs they have become.
Very sad state of affairs and totally detrimental to society as a whole.
Finally, I would laugh myself silly if I could – FULFILLMENT CENTERS? It is a f***** warehouse Bro – Mr. Bezos.
This wordsmithing is a crime that is committed routinely today in almost all workplaces, naming things differently to mask their reality. Meaningless titles and designations, totally ridiculous descriptors to make a problem look like an asset.
My favourite is George Carlin on ‘Soft Language’ https://youtu.be/o25I2fzFGoY?si=lEeE8gd05_9oZdaZ
As you said things keep happening only that some get noticed . we worked in organisations that did not have proper washrooms,they were unclean.but our human relations approach always built healthy relations with workers. we too unloaded 20 to 30 trucks a day at times (20 to 24kl). infact workers them selves decided amongst themselves that they wont take any break and unload all vehicles as they knew delays could have cascading effect on operations.All they would expect after a tiring day was a good food at dhaba and some concession to report late next morning which was fair enough. we never put such harsh, inhuman rules on workers that we would lose experienced workforce.
Dear Vivek,
Thanks for putting forth insights on the recent development@ Amazon India. It is good that such unfair practices catch attention in the National news – but unfortunately, these headlines get blurred n forgotten very soon.
Interestingly, Amazon india topped the Randstand Employer Research as ” Most attractive followed by Microsoft etc . It also was placed @6 th rank out of 25 Best Companies to work for in India . Our Award distribution Agencies know how to keep all Employers happy!!!
Unfortunately, the Government (Labour Dept)and Employer Bodies are now busy on roll out and Launch of Labour Codes.
Others are also engrossed in Strategic Workforce planning( having more contract labour ) and HR Teach etc
High time to look at ” back to basics” in People practices
We should keep writing, highlighting, talking about the abuses.
Interesting comments above, one was about Asian Paints too. I know what Ajay talked, the Bombay Branch office, where I worked during mid eighties had horrible toilets when the HQ in Nirmal was plush! Traditionally, factory toilets are an apology of toilets when compared to HQ.
And there is a mention of awards: they are scams.
Dear Vivek ji,
Thanks for penning this story, tragic, as it sounds. It appears as though we are going back in times in treatment of people, while having more fancy labels for the traditional Labour/Personnel Department and persons who run it.
Abuse of workers is rampant and more surreptitious in the so called Global or Top Brands, may be Amazon is leading the pack. But is not the crime being perpetuated by our HR fraternity to survive their jobs, if not to score brownie points with their bosses?
Everyone one of us in some way are contributors for this plight. We prefer to buy things from Amazon for cost advantage and Amazon is making it possible by cutting corners like this. Are we willing to shun buying from companies like Amazon once we realise that they are resorting to inhuman practices, not caring for the benefit we reap? Are we as consumers in a position to have a united action to ban products and services of companies that commit such unethical behaviour? I understand that it both difficult and less prudent.
The Government machinery at various levels are busy promoting their success stories not caring for the real issues other than occasionally showing lip sympathy. The Labour Unions have been successfully marginalised by the Employer class, Managements, Govt. Policies, Courts and by shortsighted actions of the Union Leaders themselves. Time has come to act before the rot gets too pervasive. The least the Employer Organisations and Assessment Agencies can do is not to Award the likes of Amazon as Best Employers or Great Places to Work and hang their head in shame for already having done enough disservice.
Sorry for this long comment.