Glimpse into a big workplace

The natural slide of summer vacation season toward Labor Day was enlivened this year by a still-ongoing debate over workplace policies of the juggernaut that is Amazon.com. The conversation began after an extensive news report published in The New York Times.

The reporting last month created a broad discussion around what it’s like for human beings to toil amid the incessant demands of a giant Internet retailer that’s managed to still think and behave like a hard-charging startup.

Amazon’s ubiquity drew many eyeballs to the story. That’s not surprising, given that Amazon’s workforce is a mashup of both warehousepeople and white-collar office techies. Amazon’s reach extends as far as one might expect of a company that’s experimenting with using drones to deliver its familiar packages.

The issues raised are familiar to American workers of any collar color. We all know what’s it like to work amidst a global economy that’s continually ratcheting higher its demands.

Thus, it’s of interest when The Times reports that the company’s drive for success has created, at times, workplace stress both unimaginable and awfully familiar. Some “Amazonians” spoke of penalties for caring for ailing parents, or daring even to fall ill themselves.

For its part, Amazon’s CEO called these eyebrow-raising anecdotes isolated and unacceptable. And observers rightly note that its workers have choices if the Amazon way is not for them.

In fairness, too, Amazon’s success shows it is on to something in some respects. Its online leadership principles demand much of both workers and managers. One section reads, in part: “Leaders listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully.” “Leaders do not believe their or their team’s body odor smells of perfume.” Hard to argue with that.