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Workers at Amazon Are Not Feeling Motivated work days, or, as Amazon calls it going into negative unpaid time off (UPT). Employees have reported being so terrified of missing work that they show up even when they are too sick or injured to work safely, in spite of the extremely physically demanding nature of the Job, 114 Across the globe at over 175 fulfillment centers, more than 125,000 workers frantically "pick, pack, and ship millions of Amazon.com customer orders to the tune of millions of items per year."105 Amazon's Innovations, like free 2-day shipping for Prime members, dash but- tons, and in-home delivery, have made the retail giant a standout in customer service. The company has con- sistently received award-winning customer satisfaction ratings. 106 Amazon became the most valuable public company and second largest e-commerce company in the world in 2019 by being hyper-focused on customer experiences, 107 But many of Amazon's fulfillment center workers are unhappy with what they are required to do to assure these esteemed customer experiences, 108 The result has been public outcry, boycotts, poor attitudes and health, and extremely high turnover rates among work- ers. What's making employees so miserable inside Amazon fulfillment centers? HOW DOES AMAZON ATTRACT FULFILLMENT CENTER WORKERS? How is it that news of a new Amazon fulfillment center is still seen as cause for celebration, given what has been reported about working conditions? Employment opportunities are one key explanation. The company tends to locate fulfillment centers on the outskirts of major metropolitan areas, often in regions that have yet to recover from the recent economic recession and are desperate for increased jobs. 115 In other words, if Amazon opens a fulfillment center in your town, chances are your employment prospects will be better than those you've got right now. Even so, many Amazon fulfillment center employees feel the compensation they receive is not commensu- rate with the extreme working conditions and job demands. Worker retention thus seems to be a function of a lack of viable alternatives rather than positive employee attitudes toward the company. As one worker stated, that's what makes people not want to quit-the pay" ... "you can treat me any type of way, since this is the best money we can get out here... Amazon does provide some additional incentives to increase productivity at its fulfillment centers. For example, managers often hold competitions that reward employees with "swag bucks"-tokens to spend inside the warehouse on things like t-shirts, water bottles, or cafeteria meals. 117 Other rewards reportedly include small gift cards and even cookies. Sald one employee, "I don't want a cookie or a gift card. I'll take it, but I'd rather a living wage. Or not being timed when you're sitting on the toilet."118 Another worker found these incentives insulting, saying that "around this time of year the managers, if their targets are met or exceeded, they get a bonus."119 WORKING AT AN AMAZON FULFILLMENT CENTER Amazon designs its fulfillment center Jobs for effi- ciency, with managers constantly monitoring and track- ing employees in three primary areas. First, workers are monitored for productivity as they race to fill as many orders as possible to meet or exceed daily quo- tas. Those who don't meet their quotas are written up. and excessive write-ups can lead to termination 109 A recent undercover investigation revealed that some employees are so fearful of missing their quotas that they forego taking necessary bathroom breaks and Instead urinate in bottles and trash cans inside the warehouses. The company is so dedicated to its productivity goals that workers reportedly don't speak to one another during their shifts, saying that manag. ers strongly discourage any kind of camaraderie.111 Second, management monitors fulfillment center workers for security purposes. One employee described the environment as resembling a prison, noting time-consuming scans for contraband (e.g. sun- glasses, phones, hoodies) and stolen items at the beginning and end of shifts. 112 There's also a custom of publicly shaming employees who steal from the company on flat-screen TVs and bulletin boards around the warehouses. 113 Third, fulfillment center managers track employee attendance. Workers can be fired for excessive missed 116 Amazon implemented a policy guaranteeing a mini- mum wage of $15 per hour after receiving such nega- tive attention in the press. This resulted in raises as small as 25 cents per hour, which many viewed as "damage control."120 For some tenured workers, the new policy meant their wages became compressed and they lost important benefits they previously received, such as stock options and bonus opportunities. 121 WHAT'S NEXT? Stacy Mitchell, co-director of the Institute for Local Self- Reliance, said, There's this way in which Amazon's warehouses are perceived to be a good thing for a community, but that's only because the context in which they are being proposed and built is so devoid of better opportunities." Said a current employee, They're walk- ing a fine line in the community-everybody knows someone who's worked there, and no one says it's a good place to work."122 Some Amazon workers have attempted to generate interest in union representation but have been unable to gain the momentum necessary for an organizing campaign. This is likely due to two main causes. First, the fact that Amazon has one of the highest turnover rates in the United States means that employees aren't around long enough for a movement to take shape. Second, workers have expressed they are afraid to speak up and participate in organizing campaigns for fear of retaliation from the company. It's unlikely we'll see any sweeping changes to the way Amazon manages its fulfillment center workers in the near future. This is because Amazon already loses money on e-commerce and subsidizes the losses with other segments of its business. Any changes to the current state of affairs could mean a loss of our cov- eted cheap wares and free two-day shipping. 124 123