Could you work at Amazon?

[herr_oberst]

I know of one fellow pelican who works at the big "A".

This NYT article sort of paints the workplace as a very demanding place indeed! I doubt I'd find contentment there with my lazy, lackadaisical habits. I'd probably be one of the people sobbing in my hands after a tough meeting....

I wonder if this is the future model for all corporate culture?

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-in-a-bruising-workplace.html?_r=0

[BE911SC]

Bezos was a Wall Street guy before he started Amazon and that's where he learned the shark-tank culture where past performance has no bearing on tomorrow. You may have been a star yesterday but what do you have planned for making more money for us tomorrow? Every employee is a potential Golden Goose and you have to choke every Golden Goose practically to death in order to get as many golden eggs as possible. Those that die from the choking were not good enough to remain on the golden egg conveyor belt.

[E38Driver]

I work for Amazon and I like it there. I don't work in the Corporate world so things are different for me. I enjoy working there. I look at work like this: I come in see what needs to be done and find a way to get it done. I try to not let the little things get in the way of the big picture.
Dave

[john70t]

These were once everywhere.
Audubon spoke of huge flocks which would block out the sun for days.

The weakness with these gentle creatures is that they did not recognize danger. "As easy as birds on a wire".
Hunters would shoot the bird right next to them but yet they would not move.

(from the article):
'A woman who had thyroid cancer was given a low performance rating after she returned from treatment. She says her manager explained that while she was out, her peers were accomplishing a great deal. Another employee who miscarried twins left for a business trip the day after she had surgery. “I’m sorry, the work is still going to need to get done,” she said her boss told her. “From where you are in life, trying to start a family, I don’t know if this is the right place for you.”

If I were investing 150% effort into a company, and I have, I would want it to be a good company.
Then I'd have no regrets later when I died.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I would do well at Amazon.

[rusnak]

I don't work at Amazon, but whoever screwed up Amazon MP3 and invented Prime is a dumb ass and should be taken outside and shot. I have purchased hundreds of songs from Amazon, and quite frankly, am horified at how bad Amazon has become in the past few years.

I tried to rent a movie on Amazon just now. No way. The checkout process requires you to hire a team of scientists. Forget it. I'll deal with iTunes, which I hate. That is how much Amazon sucks donkey balls now. Bezos, you need to be fired.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

I would do well at Amazon.

!!!??? At what capacity?
You seem to have an entrepreneurial spirit. You have too much drive, creativity, and freedom to work for a big company. Are you serious?

[island911]

With the Amazon tactics employed, and aimed at the employed, you would think that they would be better. But, there are those unintended consequences. Soon Amazon finds itself with a sea of nasty office politic players, while the productive people move on to more satisfying endeavors.

I did consider Amazon, and they need my skillz more than I need their work, but after quizzing 3 former Amazon engineers about it, I decided it wasn't for me. Plus, who wants to work in the pit of Seattle? (they hate cars, and do everything they can to discourage the use.)

That said, I will continue to buy from Amazon.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

!!!??? At what capacity?
You seem to have an entrepreneurial spirit. You have too much drive, creativity, and freedom to work for a big company. Are you serious?

My last corporate gig I was allowed to be (hired to be) an entrepreneur to create a new department from scratch; probably the most successful thing I've ever done. Three years down the road, my business plan for the next stage of the department and proposal to create a new company in which I owned half and they owned half, wasn't as well-received as I had hoped. Weak CEO. So I left.

I like to work and work hard, it's just fun for me, and I like challenges and learning new things constantly. And while not all that smart, I am innovative, so could probably rise up in the Amazon infrastructure quickly.

If not, I would just leave, but it would be an interesting experience, and I'm all about experiences.

[Ayles]

I have always thought of amazon as a nice safety net here in Seattle. If things so sideways you can always get a gig there.

It would be a brutal transition coming from the game studo where i work with all the perks. I would only work there as a last resort.

[Bill Douglas]

Amazon workers say it's really like to work for the online retailer | Daily Mail Online

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Working at Amazon would be like a vacation for me, sounds like a nice place.

I've worked in much more compettitive, political and ruthless enviornments and have up until now always managed to survive and leave on my own terms.

My tactics have always been do my best, don't suck up to anyone, don't walk over anyone, don't suffer fools, avoid political games or being a politcal pawn, sort the problem out rather than look for blame, work hard and try to have fun even when you are sinking in a sea of impossible to solve problems.

[island911]

Thinking about it, Amazon merely fast-tracks the performance/employment practices of just about anywhere.

I kind of like that it is the antithesis of the Euro-style soft-squishy idea of job entitlement.

Yet still, the whole being on-call 24hr/day. ...Amaazon does NOT pay competitively for that kind of crap.

[GH85Carrera]

If I really needed a job and it was available, sure. I really don't want to be in need of that kind of job. So far so good.

[TheMentat]

From the Onion:

SEATTLE—In response to accusations of an abusive workplace environment, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos assured employees Tuesday that the company’s human resources staff was working 100 hours a week to address their complaints. “I’ve heard your grievances, and I promise that HR is toiling 16 hours a day, plus weekends, until the problem is solved,” read a company-wide email from Bezos, who promised that members of the human resources department would not be allowed to rest for a single second until allegations of a cruel, backstabbing office culture at Amazon were fully dealt with. “Nothing matters more to me than the well-being of our employees, and our HR staff will continue to work their fingers to the bone—not seeing their families or friends or anything at all outside their offices—for as long as it takes to make this right.” Bezos added that any employee not fully committed to ensuring a healthy work-life balance should look for a job elsewhere.

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

If I really needed a job and it was available, sure. I really don't want to be in need of that kind of job. So far so good.

This is pretty well in line with my thinking. I have been successful at every other job I have tried, and am smart enough, can't imagine why I would not do well at that too.

[aap1966]

Performance expectations exceeding allocated resources, bad-mouthing other employees encouraged, blame shifting, high employee turnover, reward of pathological behaviours, unpaid extreme hours expected...............................


Yeah, no real difference from where I am now, I'd handle that.

[TheMentat]

Originally Posted by aap1966

Performance expectations exceeding allocated resources, bad-mouthing other employees encouraged, blame shifting, high employee turnover, reward of pathological behaviours, unpaid extreme hours expected...............................


Yeah, no real difference from where I am now, I'd handle that.

Sounds like Y'all need to find a way to work for yourself!!!

[dennis in se pa]

Sounds like a bunch of cry babies to me. If you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen. They know the atmosphere when they sign up for the job.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by dennis in se pa

Sounds like a bunch of cry babies to me. If you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen. They know the atmosphere when they sign up for the job.

Millennials.