‘I'm not a robot’: Amazon workers condemn unsafe, grueling conditions at warehouse

Our reference materials include anecdotes and quotes culled from modern classics. 

For the safety of the community, the municipal government decided to cull wild boar in the region.

Jim is a sociopath– he doesn’t have any moral qualms about making a living out of destroying people’s lives. 

Eventually, moral qualms about my decision to leave my hometown, leaving behind my parents, crept upon me. 

In your own words, please briefly summarize the article.

What was your first impression after reading this article?

If you are employed, what is the work culture like at your company?

How do you feel about the characterization of Amazon’s culture as “purposeful Darwinism”

Would you rather work in a cutthroat and competitive environment or a more relaxed and cooperative environment? Explain your answer. 

Do you think it is inevitable for companies to treat employees like disposable parts in our socio-economic system? Or can this be reversed? What are some alternative labor models?

If you were Amazon’s investor, would you support its culture? Why or why not?

South Korea has one of the highest average working hours among OECD countries. What factors contributed to this and how do those factors affect your personal life?

Do you think Amazon warehouse workers are treated unfairly?

If you have a question or questions that you'd like to discuss during your class, please write them down.

아마존의 업무수행 문화

Putting profits before people

Amazon's Work Culture

사람보다 이익?

“Inside Amazon,” an exposé run by the New York Times in 2015, revealed the ruthless culture behind Amazon’s success. The article was published after interviews with more than 100 employees. Some workers reported that they were quick to be evaluated right after tragedies in their personal lives. In a culture that pushed A-players to their limits, many were being fired in annual cullings [1] that is reflected in the term “purposeful Darwinism,” a nickname given to the firm’s labor model.   At the time, Jeff Bezos refuted criticisms about the harsh work culture by publicly claiming that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTYFEgXaRbU" style="text-decoration:none;"><span style="color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">work-life “harmony”</a> is important at Amazon. He still pointed out that the high-tech sector is by nature fast-paced and not for everyone. To Amazon employees, Bezos’s personal memo was sent out explaining that the New York Times article was a mischaracterization of what the company strives to represent.  In recent years, the shipping giant’s relationship with its employees has once more come to the public’s attention. Amazon’s fulfillment centers have been criticized for having created unsafe and threatening environments that treat workers like disposable parts. In 2019, PBS News reported that injury rates at Amazon warehouses were double the industry average.  Testimonies by former and current employees on how they were always monitored and held up to impossible standards followed. Raymond Valez, who worked as a packer at the Amazon JFK8 warehouse from 2018 to 2019, told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/feb/05/amazon-workers-protest-unsafe-grueling-conditions-warehouse" style="text-decoration:none;"><span style="color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">the Guardian</a> that “he was required to pack at a rate of 700 items per hour.” He also added that managers only care about the numbers and that people regularly get written up or fired for missing targets. The Guardian article detailed the experience of several Amazon warehouse employees, revealing how cruel productivity standards can lead to injuries.  Amazon countered the accusations by saying that safety is their priority, but employees’ response to this statement has been that of disbelief. Other workers, on the other hand, have publicly stated that they don’t have qualms [2] about Amazon’s work environment since that’s what they signed up for-- not to mention the company’s generous benefits package.  While Amazon became one of the most innovative and fast-growing companies, the work philosophy that reinforced this growth has attracted more criticism than praise. The firm’s culture clearly has had its merits, but the long term sustainability, as well as impacts on its employee base, remain to be seen.

2015년 뉴욕타임스에 실린 폭로성 기사 "아마존의 실체"는 아마존의 성공 이면에 숨겨진 무자비한 사내 문화를 적나라하게 드러냈습니다. 이 기사는 100명이 넘는 직원들을 대상으로 한 인터뷰를 바탕으로 한 것입니다. 어떤 직원들은 개인적으로 비극적인 일을 겪은 직후 직무 평가를 받았다고 했습니다. 최고 능력을 가진 직원들을 한계치까지 몰아부치는 환경 속에서 "목적적 다윈주의"라고 불리는 회사의 노동 모델에서 그대로 드러나듯이 많은 직원들은 매년 비인간적인 심사 과정을 거쳐 해고되고 있었습니다.   당시 제프 베조스는 아마존에서는 일과 삶의 '조화'가 중요하다고 공개적으로 주장하며 가혹한 직장 문화에 대한 비판에 반박했습니다. 그는 첨단기술 분야의 기업은 성격상 빠르게 돌아갈 수밖에 없고 그렇기 때문에 모든 사람이 이런 문화에 맞는 것은 아니라고 지적했습니다. 아마존 직원들에게 보낸 개인메모에서 베조스는 뉴욕타임스 기사가 아마존이 표방하고자 하는 이미지를 잘못 잡은 것이라고 말했습니다. 최근 거대 소매기업 아마존과 그 직원들과의 관계는 다시 한번 도마 위에 올랐습니다. 아마존의 주문 처리센터는 근로자들을 일회용 부품처럼 취급하고 안전을 외면하는 위협적인 환경을 가지고 있다는 비판을 받아왔습니다. 2019년 PBS 뉴스는 아마존 물류창고 내 부상율이 업계 평균의 2배에 이른다고 보도했습니다.  항상 감시당하고 있었다든지 혹은 불가능한 기준에 따라 평가받았다고 증언하는 전, 현직 직원들이 잇달아 나왔습니다. 2018년부터 2019년까지 아마존 JFK8 창고에서 포장일을 했던 레이먼드 발레즈는 가디언지에서 "시간당 700개의 물건을 포장하도록 요구받았다"고 말했습니다. 그는 매니저들은 오직 수치에만 신경쓰고 목표를 달성하지 못한 직원들은 정기적으로 경고를 받거나 해고를 당한다고 덧붙였습니다. 가디언 기사는 아마존 물류창고 직원 여러 명의 경험을 상세히 전하며 혹독하게 책정된 생산성 기준이 어떻게 신체적 상해사고를 유발할 수 있는지를 폭로했습니다. 아마존은 안전이 회사의 최우선정책이라며 비난에 맞섰지만 이 말에 대한 직원들의 반응은 도저히 믿을 수 없다는 것이었습니다. 반면, 일부 근로자들은 아마존의 후한 복리후생은 물론이고, 회사의 업무환경이 어떤지를 이미 알고 지원했기 때문에 이것들은 전혀 문제되지 않는다고 공개적으로 말했습니다.  아마존이 가장 혁신적이고 빠르게 성장하는 기업 중 하나가 된 반면, 이러한 성장만을 강조하는 노동 철학은 칭찬보다는 비판을 더 많이 받았습니다. 이러한 회사 문화가 장점이 있는 것은 분명하지만 이것이 직원들에게 미치는 영향과 장기적인 지속 가능성은 앞으로 지켜봐야 할 것입니다.