Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace

[SteveEisenberg]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/te...workplace.html

This excellent article may be too long for comfortable reading on a PC. Here is an eInk-friendly link:

http://www.readingthenet.com/mob?wsc...&whp=30&ct=pg1

Amazonians are instructed to “disagree and commit” (No. 13) — to rip into colleagues’ ideas, with feedback that can be blunt to the point of painful, before lining up behind a decision. . . .

Molly Jay, an early member of the Kindle team, said she received high ratings for years. But when she began traveling to care for her father, who was suffering from cancer, and cut back working on nights and weekends, her status changed. She was blocked from transferring to a less pressure-filled job, she said, and her boss told her she was “a problem.” As her father was dying, she took unpaid leave to care for him and never returned to Amazon.

“When you’re not able to give your absolute all, 80 hours a week, they see it as a major weakness,” she said. . . .

The employees who stream from the Amazon exits are highly desirable because of their work ethic, local recruiters say. In recent years, companies like Facebook and LinkedIn have opened large Seattle offices, and they benefit from the Amazon outflow.

Recruiters, though, also say that other businesses are sometimes cautious about bringing in Amazon workers, because they have been trained to be so combative. The derisive local nickname for Amazon employees is “Amholes” — pugnacious and work-obsessed.

[conan50]

Staring to think this company really sucks and shouldn't be getting my dollars.

[DiapDealer]

I suspect you'll save a lot of money if you only purchase from companies that never put business ahead of their employees personal lives.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I suspect you'll save a lot of money if you only purchase from companies that never put business ahead of their employees personal lives.

I suspect you are right.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/te...workplace.html

This excellent article may be too long for comfortable reading on a PC. Here is an eInk-friendly link:

http://www.readingthenet.com/mob?wsc...&whp=30&ct=pg1

Kind of reminds me of a consulting firm that I worked at, but taken to extremes. It can work out if there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but that doesn't seem to be the case, at least for the rank and file.

There are a number of Silicon Valley CEO's who are known as, how to say this... a bit on the unforgiving, driven side. There are stories about Jobs, Gates and Ellison, so it's not real surprising the Bozos also fall in that camp as well.

[conan50]

I would like to think this is a hit piece by the NYT as they have never seemed to care much for Amazon, but if true, this "Office Darwinism" is going to end up with a corporation run by Sociopaths.
They have the best customer service around, they better start spreading that concern for the customer well-being to their employees or it is going to bite them in the end.

[patrickt]

The NYT would prefer all employees to be passive. No one is required to work for Amazon. I doubt they have any sort of national draft enforced by the government. And anyone wanting a more peaceful workplace can move.

Of course, they'd likely be moving to a place with passive/aggressive employees who refer to you as an amhole behind your back.

As a customer, I find Amazon to be outstanding. That is enough, in itself, to get you on a NYT hit list.

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I suspect you'll save a lot of money if you only purchase from companies that never put business ahead of their employees personal lives.

This is true. And sometimes you should put the business ahead of your personal life. I don't want to eat spoiled produce because the farmer had to go see his kid play little league on the last good harvest day. Work-life balance doesn't mean that work never wins.

Originally Posted by patrickt

And anyone wanting a more peaceful workplace can move.

Same for someone who is looking for a workplace with greater opportunity to openly criticize co-workers. That is, they can, depending on the economy, and if they have skills in demand, and are good at job hunting. While some of us are in that group, others are not.

Another good thing disgruntled employees can do is complain to journalists.

Originally Posted by patrickt

Of course, they'd likely be moving to a place with passive/aggressive employees who refer to you as an amhole behind your back.

Yes, such human frailty is all around us. Life is mostly a matter of degree, isn't it?

[Rizla]

They sound like extremely dull people.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by conan50

They have the best customer service around, they better start spreading that concern for the customer well-being to their employees or it is going to bite them in the end.

It hasn't bitten any of the other companies that have done/do the same exact thing. I am afraid you will be disappointed.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by conan50

I would like to think this is a hit piece by the NYT as they have never seemed to care much for Amazon, but if true, this "Office Darwinism" is going to end up with a corporation run by Sociopaths.
They have the best customer service around, they better start spreading that concern for the customer well-being to their employees or it is going to bite them in the end.

It pretty much matches a number of stories about Bezos and Amazon. I'm sure there must be some positive side to working for Amazon, otherwise they wouldn't have any employees. It's not terribly different from big law firms and big consulting firms up or out model. Of course, both of those industries have the carrot of being a partner where the paychecks are huge and the work load isn't so much. Let's just say that I'm pretty sure that Bezos isn't treated quite the same way as everyone else when it comes to hard nosed, in your face meetings.

[jgaiser]

I spent 20+ years as an Intel employee, the last 12 as a salaried exempt. Amazon's work environment is nothing new. If you can't take the pressure there are plenty low pressure jobs.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

If you can't take the pressure there are plenty low pressure jobs.

monkey likes low pressure jobs

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

I spent 20+ years as an Intel employee, the last 12 as a salaried exempt. Amazon's work environment is nothing new. If you can't take the pressure there are plenty low pressure jobs.

Of course, and apparently quite a few do decide to move on to different work environments. As I mentioned, it's not like other companies aren't pressure cookers, the oddity, at least to me, is that there doesn't appear to be the big payout.

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I suspect you'll save a lot of money if you only purchase from companies that never put business ahead of their employees personal lives.

That's for sure since he won't be buying ANYTHING from ANYBODY!!!