Amazon workers are not treated well, that much is obvious. From being unable to take bathroom breaks to being forced to keep working during a deadly hurricane, the massive commerce company has major issues.
Even worse is that Amazon seems to have no wish to improve the situation for its hundreds of thousands of warehouse workers. Instead, it's new initiative seems to be pressuring workers into reading “motivational messages” as if they were trapped in a cult.
Amazon workers recite motivational messages
As shared on Reddit, Amazon has introduced a series of motivational messages into the work cycle of its workforce. One worker shared an image of the “positive affirmation” section of their work shift, a phrase obviously designed by businessmen who have never worked a factory in their lives.
During this time, messages and a timer appear on a screen in front of the worker. Workers are given three sentences to repeat as an image of a circle expands. Every time the circle expands, every phrase must be recited.
The phrases are as follows:
• Even in chaos, I can feel peaceful
• I notice the good
• While socially distant, I am emotionally close
In the Reddit post, the worker who captured the picture explained that these messages are displayed all day long at regular intervals. They said: “Amazon won't let us listen to music or sit down, but we get these “motivational” messages all day long.“
To hammer home just how dour the situation is, a sticker at the top of the screen highlights another restriction at the factory. “CELL PHONES NOT PERMITTED, MUST BE STORED IN BREAK ROOM,” the sticker reads.
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Ex Workers comment on the situation
The introduction of positive affirmation to Amazon workers is new. While the company has frequently been called out for dystopian methods of turning humans into drones, it’s only just started attempting to essentially brainwash employees into thinking they have it good.
In the Reddit thread, some past workers spoke up on their experiences at the company. One worker explained that they was told off for sitting down to tie their shoes after hours of moving boxes. Another explained that their sister had hurt their shoulder working for the company and that they refused to help with physical therapy.
Most who have worked for Amazon have nothing but disdain for the commerce company. With horrendous restrictions like these, there's no wonder why the company is hated.