Did you know that Amazon workers are routinely driven to tears? That they’re scolded for not answering email after midnight? That drones monitor their movements off the clock? That even their bathroom breaks are timed to ensure productivity?
I only made one of those things up, but the fact that they all seem realistic tells you something about the modern workplace.
Draconian would be a kind way to describe the Amazon portrayed in a recent New York Times article, which said “the company is conducting an experiment in how far it can push white-collar workers to get them to achieve its ever-expanding ambitions.”
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, presumably reached while snacking on caviar and wearing a monocle and top hat, said the article didn’t represent the company he knows. Maybe not, but it’s the company we’ve all encouraged with our insatiable demand for convenience.
I can get a hankering for cheese doodles and have a 72-pack delivered to my door the next day, or even the same day in some cities. We’ve never had it so good.
Yet in a 2014 Gallup poll, nearly 4 in 10 U.S. workers said they put in more than 50 hours each week. Smartphones keep many tethered to the office at night, on weekends or during vacations. We’ve never had it so busy.
In our latest poll at HeraldNet.com, we asked whether jobs have become too demanding. Only 16 percent said most employers provide a good work-life balance. Of the 84 percent who said companies ask too much, nearly half said workers should quit if they can’t handle it.
In other words, we’ve come to expect this, and to accept less time for family, friends or a life outside of work.
And there’s definitely no time for shopping. Thank goodness we have Amazon.
— Doug Parry, @parryracer
For our next poll, in light of Mariner High School’s ban on non-local pro sports clothing, we’d like to know if you think schools should be more restrictive.
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