Amazon.com Employee Review

I worked at Amazon.com full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – -Overtime
-Work 4 days and 10 hours a week.
-Stock opportunity

Cons – -Unfair management
-Favoritism at an all time high
-Management and employee turnover at an all time high as well

-Associates aren't allowed to fully enjoy their breaks and lunches due to their travel time being included in their break time. For instance, if you start walking towards the break room at 9:30, and you get to the break room and sit down at 9:33, that travel time is added against your break time.

-Communication issues between management
-Micromanaging
-EVERY MAN FOR THEMSELVES

-Managers and HRSB's often harp about there being an "open door policy" and a voice of the associate board for associates who wish to voice their suggestions, comments, and questions, which often goes unacknowledged because they selectively read what they want and respond how they want. If it's something that isn't complimenting THEM or anything positive about the job in general, don't count on for a response from them. If most of the comments are negative, then they will only suggest for the associate with the issue to come to their office or report it to an immediate manager at any time so that it can be properly addressed, which rarely happens.

Advice to Senior Management – -Seeing as how the turnover rate for this employer is ridiculously high, I guess it wouldn't make sense to waste time and money training new and/or relatively seasoned employees in multiple functions.

-The first few years of the Amazon - Whitestown IND1 opening went really well because of the consistent record -breaking of units processed. Good management and incentives played a role in that until the GM decided it would be a great idea to swap them out for new management and things took a turn for the worse. Micromanaging and little to no incentives played a role in how the customers were always receiving wrong items, how employees were overworked and making a lot of mistakes, and how coachings, first/second/written warnings are second nature if an associate isn't performing 100% or better. Like for instance, an associate can and will be written up even if they're at a 99 percent for the week. Take a look at how associates did the first years of Amazon opening, then take a look at how things are going now. It goes back on how things were managed, not the associate. If termination should take place, it should start with the managers.

-Hire managers that actually HAVE good interpersonal skills and have actually dealt with people instead of hiring fresh young faces that are seconds out of college with little to no management experience. Amazon is too big of a warehouse for anyone new to handle that big of a responsibility. I understand that you have to start somewhere, but Amazon is NOT the place.

-In order to have a happy customer, you have to have a happy employee. Make sure you treat your employees well, and by well, I mean actually making sure they have their FULL 15 minute breaks and full 30 minute lunch.

When you have money hungry managers that are very customer centric and only care about numbers, you're bound to see a downfall somewhere, usually in productivity and attendance. You're overworking your employees and they usually have nothing to show for it. There's a lot of money put in your pockets from overworking your employees, and what are your employees getting? $5 gas cards or a gift card to a place they don't even shop at or never knew existed until after the fact.

-Stop berating your employees like children when mistakes are made and customers are receiving the wrong items due to carelessness, fatigue, and your unrealistic demands that you won't admit to. It all starts from YOU guys and how well you treat your associates. When you start treating your associates better, I can guarantee you will see a much better result.

-Don't think that just because you're manager and you have a title, that you are always right and have no room for criticism as well as improvement.

-Communication between managers is bad. Very bad, which is why the "open door policy" and VOA board is such a bust [let's not forget flawed] because they don't properly address the comments, suggestions, and concerns that need answers. I find it odd that communication between them is bad, yet they will bend over backwards to make sure they deliver a coaching, first/second/final written warning to an associate with the quickness, but will take days to address an associate's need. You can't be that busy if all you're doing is looking at spreadsheets.

HR is not your friend if you're an employee. They are only there to defend the employer, not you. Unless you're being threatened, sexually harassed, or being discriminated against, then don't count on HR for anything should you seek "assistance" [or lack thereof] from any of them.

-The rating system is flawed, but they will never admit it. They expect you to process X amount of units per hour even when bin space becomes limited, but will still hold you to that standard because the senior OPS manager needs to see that the ops manager is seeing into the area manager taking appropriate action on the associate not being 100% or better to make them look good.

GET RID OF STANDARD WORK IN INBOUND.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company