Would You Boycott Amazon?

Amazon does not value the book industry and value their employees less, says a New York expose.

16:34 20 August 2015

According to a New York expose, Amazon values its employees less and are subjected to unreasonably high standards. Workers are encouraged to tear apart one another’s ideas in meetings while the internal phone directory instructs colleagues on how to send secret feedback to one another’s bosses.

 

“This is a company that strives to do really big, innovative, groundbreaking things, and those things aren’t easy,” said Susan Harker, Amazon’s top recruiter. “When you’re shooting for the moon, the nature of the work is really challenging. For some people it doesn’t work.”

 

Jeff Bezo, Amazon’s CEO, said that the expose does not describe the Amazon he know. He said: “You are recruited every day by other world-class companies, and you can work anywhere you want. I strongly believe that anyone working in a company that really is like the one described in the NYT would be crazy to stay. I know I would leave such a company.”

 

However, some employees do not agree with him. One employee who worked in books marketing said: “Nearly every person I worked with, I saw cry at their desk.”