As a former operations manager in multiple Amazon warehouses I completely agree. Out of all of the "Pathways" managers I worked with, maybe 10% could effectively manage their people, shift, and metrics. Most hid behind their laptop and prayed that someone else would take care of the "hard" problems like talking to someone not hitting their rate or making quality errors. Their "deep analytics" knowledge meant nothing when running an operation.
It has been several years, but I was a manager on the inbound side at multiple FCs over the span of a couple years. Most likely reason for the mis-matched box size recommendation is due to the Warehouse Management System (WMS) that tracks all things (what is where when and item dimensions) having incorrect measurements of the item dimensions.
On the outbound side, as you definitely know, packers are absolutely discouraged from using their judgement when selecting a box. Hell, there was a specific metric that was basically the adherence to the recommended box size. But when an ASIN first appears in a warehouse, the WMS will send the item to be scanned. The scanning process is used to input the dimensions and weight of the item. I know for a fact that some of the associates that performed that function would get lazy. I even had receivers that would completely fudge the numbers when the system asked the item to be sent to cubiscan. So there you have it - can't blame the packer on the outbound side. The problem was usually found when inbound didn't properly enter the item dimensions.
Article rings true from my perspective as a "level 5" manager in Amazon's fulfillment operation.
Remember that Amazon core value to "have backbone" and "don't be afraid to disagree"? This is where that would bite you in the ass. That Senior Operations Manager you disagreed with that one time in a staff meeting in front of the GM? Yeah, they just sunk your promotion during the OLR because your direct manager didn't want to put their spine out there to get snapped.
Not sure how different it was in Seattle, but in order to get that promotion, you had to tread lightly and make sure everyone thought of you as the perfect little angel.
As a former manager for Amazon across multiple fulfillment centers, they ALL use temps. They don't all use the same temp agencies, and sometimes they use more than one at the same facility. In about 2006 some facilities would do a direct hire into Amazon. But the model now is the try-before-you-buy. A new temp is told that after so many hours they are eligible for "conversion" to a full time Amazon associate. But, there is also a max allowable hours before they are let go. So within that window they have to keep minimal attendance points and minimal warnings (write-ups). If there is space, a manager will always try to convert the best of his/her temps.
No, it isn't glorious work. Yes, I felt like I was managing a literal sweatshop in the summer. But, working in a warehouse/distribution environment is tough everywhere. I really wasn't a fan of how Amazon treated any of the fulfillment workers (managers or associates) and that ultimately led to me leaving. Don't miss it at all.
I went ahead and spent the money for the ergodesktop, this one:http://www.ergodesktop.com/content/kangaroo-elite
For those of us working in a cubicle farm where the desks and walls are bolted together for miles, bringing in your own desk is not an option. I started by propping everything up on empty boxes. It was ugly as hell but the heights were correct. I did this for over a month just to make sure I was going to like standing as much as I did. Well, I loved it and buying the ergodesktop seemed like the logical next step. It IS expensive. But, I can take this with me when I leave knowing that no matter where I work I can set this baby on my desk and stand or sit. So far I love it and find it well worth the money given that I spend 40+ hours a week using it.
I left Amazon just over a year ago, but have just over two years as a manager across three of their large fulfillment centers. I can offer some perspective:
-- Yes, the ratio of temp associates to "blue badge" Amazon associates can be 50/50 at best during off-peak (though trending worse as Amazon expands) and during peak season temps will be 80% of the workforce. And yes, temps get absolutely nothing from Amazon as far as benefits. This is in stark contrast to a company they own - Zappos.
-- Very few tier 1 associates made it three years. Very, very few. On my last shift of about 50 associates, I can only think of about 5, and this was one of the older fulfillment centers.
-- Maybe it has changed, but there was no option to work part-time. Standard shifts are 10 hours. Mandatory OT can be frequent off-peak and is every week during peak. I had plenty of associates that took college classes during the day (I managed on nights). They did it, but were really dragging ass at night. They got maybe two or three hours of sleep a day. Many just couldn't make their productivity goals and would eventually quit before being fired.
This initiative is what I would call a good start, and better than nothing. But as some have mentioned, the ability to move to a part-time schedule would be nice. As would a higher reimbursement amount. But maybe that will come in the future.
"Standard shifts are 10 hours. Mandatory OT can be frequent off-peak and is every week during peak" That's pretty rough. What's the benefit to Amazon of doing 10-hour shifts instead of, say, 8?
10 hours shifts are actually 10.5 hours as there is a .5 hour lunch in the middle. So you have a night shift and a day shift that total 21 hours of work in the warehouse. This leaves three hours of down time for maintenance (both mechanical and software) that is very much needed to keep things rolling. In order to fill customer orders, they NEED the labor to be as constant as possible. The difference between 17 hours and 21 hours of filling orders would be quite drastic.
During peak, especially the three weeks prior to Christmas, the shifts are actually 12 hours. This leads to massive amounts of frustration as night and day shifts step on each other trying to get the hell in/out. And parking, long lines at security, crowded break room, etc add to the frustrations. Maintenance has to fix things on the fly while we try to work and software pushes gone bad (they limit them as much as possible during this time) can just kill a facility.
If you need four hours of downtime, either the three 8 hour shifts would have to overlap (meaning for the overlap periods you'd need twice as many workstations, i.e. a warehouse twice as big) or the third shift would have employees standing idle for 4 hours.
Downtime is useful because you can get in and perform preventative maintenance and software deployments, and if there's a problem (like a machine breakdown) that delays picking by an hour or two, you can complete the day's work instead of having the problems spill over into the next day.
Why they don't offer an option to do three 7-hour shifts I don't know.
Simple really - productivity. On every shift you lose time starting up and getting everyone to work. This happens twice a shift (start of shift, coming back after lunch). There is a gap in time from when everyone clocks in to when they actually start producing. This time is referred to as "stand-up" and is when the manager covers safety, quality, admin messages, announcements, etc and also performs stretches. Multiply the time spent doing this by the number of minutes your shift is producing absolutely zero and you start each shift in the hole. You also lose some towards the end of a shift (everyone stops just a bit early until you start dropping the hammer). Knowing this, the fewer the shifts, the less "lost" productivity.
