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    Amazon Makes It Harder for Disabled Employees to Work from Home

    (www.bloomberg.com)
    283 points belter | 15 comments | 13 Nov 24 21:16 UTC | HN request time: 0.553s | source | bottom
    1. 0xbadcafebee ◴[13 Nov 24 22:34 UTC] No.42130943[source]▶
    I just don't understand why Amazon hates its employees so much. These are the people making you billions and billions of dollars. And their jobs very clearly do not require them to work in an office, nor does it sap productivity, as years of experience and multiple studies confirm. And people could previously work in the office if they wanted to, so it's not like anyone was alienated before.

    It's like the execs are just sadists. There's no upside.

    replies(5): >>42131094 #>>42131112 #>>42131332 #>>42131527 #>>42131889 #
    2. doitLP ◴[13 Nov 24 22:50 UTC] No.42131094[source]▶
    It takes a certain kind of person to rise to the top of a company like this. almost every single person here above L8 has been here for at least a decade or more.
    3. bitmasher9 ◴[13 Nov 24 22:52 UTC] No.42131112[source]▶
    Employees are a resource to extract the value from in the most cost efficient method possible.
    replies(1): >>42131194 #
    4. iLoveOncall ◴[13 Nov 24 23:03 UTC] No.42131194[source]▶
    Yes but even from this point of view, 5 days of RTO doesn't make any sense: it's much cheaper and much more efficient to have people working their own home than from an expensive office, and people are massively more productive at home overall.
    replies(1): >>42131919 #
    5. ilamont ◴[13 Nov 24 23:21 UTC] No.42131332[source]▶
    "Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking."

    It should be pretty clear where employees, suppliers, and partners stand in the Amazon hierarchy.

    replies(1): >>42131489 #
    6. no_wizard ◴[13 Nov 24 23:44 UTC] No.42131489[source]▶
    >commitment to operational excellence

    One could rightly interpret this as, in part, 'treat your employees good and with respect', but alas, that got missed in the MBA coursework.

    7. _DeadFred_ ◴[13 Nov 24 23:49 UTC] No.42131527[source]▶
    My friend this is the company that gave people doors for desks irrespective of the practicality/ergonomics/actual costs benefit.

    If it's any comfort, the execs are even bigger sadists against each other (at least in the past).

    8. sswaner ◴[14 Nov 24 00:41 UTC] No.42131889[source]▶
    Rather than call the Amazon execs liars and sadists perhaps consider that the senior execs (Andy and his directs) believe that they are responsible for crafting a successful company. It is far more plausible that they believe that while it may have worked to have remote workers, that they WANT a company that has the features of an in-office culture and feel it is within their right to take that path.

    Unless you think that you would be a lying sadist if you rose the ranks to senior leadership, why do you think that the Amazon leaders are somehow different?

    replies(2): >>42132484 #>>42132764 #
    9. no_wizard ◴[14 Nov 24 00:45 UTC] No.42131919{3}[source]▶
    The only thing that trumps good decision making is ego.

    I suspect a non zero amount of this is ego driven, be it either from middle management to upper management or c-suite need to exert some control.

    I can't for the life of me figure out why otherwise. Especially organizations that are clearly still demonstrating success. They don't have the supporting metrics for this and they know, and the employees know it, and by some extension, the public knows it now too.

    10. 93po ◴[14 Nov 24 02:16 UTC] No.42132484[source]▶
    I feel like you inadvertently touched on the part we're upset about: this is happening because a bunch of extremely wealthy privileged people want some experience in a company for their satisfaction. Not because it's the best way to run a business or to maximize profits, but because it just feels good for them.

    This is upsetting in a world where I need my job to not be homeless, to feed my family, and have really basic things like healthcare. My ability to literally just stay alive is being interfered with by the whims of corporate royalty.

    replies(1): >>42138053 #
    11. 0xbadcafebee ◴[14 Nov 24 03:10 UTC] No.42132764[source]▶
    Actually I was being charitable. I was only assuming their decision is from spite. If I also assumed they thought this was good for the company in the long run, I'd have to assume they were idiots.

    There is no rational, data-driven argument against optional remote work. Even the one downside of it (not getting promoted) could be solved by an employee just opting to go into the office.

    Everything else is a plus, for the company and the employee. The company saves on real estate, salaries, can hire anywhere in the world, and gets increased productivity [and profit]. The employee gets flexible hours, choice of living arrangements, and improved quality of life, which then benefits the company as improved morale/loyalty.

    replies(1): >>42135500 #
    12. Wytwwww ◴[14 Nov 24 12:17 UTC] No.42135500{3}[source]▶
    > There is no rational, data-driven argument against optional remote work

    If we ignore tangentially relevant (from the company's perspective) stuff like employee wellbeing etc. the same could be said about WFH.

    replies(1): >>42137901 #
    13. consteval ◴[14 Nov 24 16:35 UTC] No.42137901{4}[source]▶
    Sure, but employees are not machines and companies should realize this. Amazon is getting far too comfortable biting the hand that feeds them. Employees aren't underlings of your company; they ARE your company. The fact they all got together is what makes it a company. So, what happens if you hurt them?
    14. geodel ◴[14 Nov 24 16:47 UTC] No.42138053{3}[source]▶
    > My ability to literally just stay alive is being interfered with by the whims of corporate royalty.

    Oh please. You can choose from tons of low paying job which do not have offices (mainly to save costs) and are permanently remote. What you seem to be looking is Amazon level salaries but none of Amazon like workplace rules.

    replies(1): >>42140926 #
    15. 93po ◴[14 Nov 24 20:37 UTC] No.42140926{4}[source]▶
    so i have to uproot my job, career, possibly move cities, find new schools for all my kids, and spend tens of thousands on moving costs because a bunch of amazon execs want to swing their dick around?

    my point is they are interfering. not that they aren't legally allowed to, or that i can't find work elsewhere. they're making the lives of thousands of people really difficult because of personal preferences, which is my problem.