Imagine a work place where you can’t even go to the bathroom because the work pressure is so high. If a UK-based journalist’s account is to be believed that then this work place is none other than e-commerce giant Amazon. It was also revealed that a lot of employees at Amazon end up suffering from depression. James Bloodworth, worked as an undercover Amazon worker and wrote a book titled Hired: Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain, where he has made some startling revelations. An independent survey also gives weight to certain claims made by the journalist.
Bloodworth reveals that delivery workers who pick up products from warehouse in Straffordshire, UK, actually use bottles to relieve themselves because “the actual toilet is located too far away. In a news report in The Verge, it is also mentioned how Bloodworth told a UK publication that the Amazon warehouse looked more like a prison. Workers aren’t allowed items like hoodies, phones, sunglasses and have to go through rigorous security scanners.
Amazon denied any such claims and in a statement to The Verge said, “Amazon provides a safe and positive workplace for thousands of people across the UK with competitive pay and benefits from day one. We have not been provided with confirmation that the people who completed the survey worked at Amazon and we don’t recognise these allegations as an accurate portrayal of activities in our buildings.”
However, it’s not just Bloodworth’s account which reveals tough work conditions at companies like Amazon. A survey by worker rights platform Organise revealed that 74 percent of workers are afraid of using the toiled as they could miss their target numbers. The survey further revealed that 55 per cent of employees surveyed suffered from depression since working at Amazon. Interestingly, 80 per cent people said they wouldn’t want to work at Amazon again.
The Jeff Bezos-led company, however, further rejected these claims and told The Verge, ““We have a focus on ensuring we provide a great environment for all our employees and last month Amazon was named by LinkedIn as the [seventh] most sought-after place to work in the UK and ranked first place in the US.”
A 2017 report by Glassdoor revealed that Amazon pays $12 per hour to its warehouse workers and offers benefits like healthcare and tuition fee reimbursements among others.
