Great coworkers, poor management - Data Linguist Amazon Employee Review

3.0
Jun 11, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Your coworkers and immediate supervisor will likely be talented, passionate and thoughtful people who care about the quality of their work. If you're lucky enough to work remotely, the work-life balance is pretty good. You will be treated courteously and professionally most of the time. Anyone incapable of comporting themselves maturely or of resisting the urge to bully their subordinates will usually quickly be removed from power.

Cons

Management above your immediate supervisor will be myopic, sclerotic, and out-of-touch. You will be a number in a spreadsheet somewhere, and you will frequently have to remind your superiors what it is that you actually do, if not reintroduce yourself entirely. Most administrative decisions rely on a one-size-fits-all philosophy which leads to constant disruptions at the technical, procedural, or project level. Massive changes will be communicated vaguely or not at all, leaving employees to fend for themselves to find workarounds, information, or support for whatever issue arose as a result of a new policy nobody told them about. Management will often be evasive when asked to put anything in writing. There is a general lack of accountability for bad decisions; the only people that feel the consequences are workers who are either: a) overcommitted or undercommitted to projects due to poor resource management or b) laid off. Opportunities for career advancement are limited, and paths to internal promotion are frequently blocked by either lengthy hiring freezes or mass onboarding of external hires. Most of the people I knew there had been in the same role for their entire tenure with the company, including people who had been there for nearly a decade. Pay also can be "one-size-fits-all" and is largely dependent on your level within the company, rather than your skillset or performance. Positions that require specialized knowledge were classified on the same pay grade as new entry-level hires, which resulted in pay below market standards for some positions. My team's headcount went from 14 to 5 in less than a year after upper management informed us that they felt our pay was "competitive", which it was, but only if you considered everyone at our administrative level unspecialized workers. Overall, it isn't an awful place to work on a day-to-day basis, but it felt like leadership rarely had a good idea as to what was going on, how their teams were structured, what tools and resources employees need for daily operation of the business, etc. A startling lack of care permeates all aspects of administration.

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May 21, 2026
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Pros

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Cons

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5.0
Jan 10, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Really smart people, a lot of opportunity for growth, always encouraged to be innovative, think big, and create something new. Competitive salary and benefits with other major tech companies. 100% self motivating work environment. No dress code and 4 legged friends are welcome.

Cons

You have to be self motivated. NO ONE will hold your hand and tell you that you're doing a great job. If you need constant affirmations from management, this company isn't for you.

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