That’s not the business I recognise, says Jeff Bezos, in rare communication to staff
The boss of the world’s biggest online retailer has hit back at reports of a “bruising”, “back-stabbing” workplace culture that pushes people to the point of “combustion”, in a rare memo to Amazon’s 150,000 global staff.
Responding to the 5,400-word exposé in the New York Times (NYT), Jeff Bezos said: “The article doesn’t describe the Amazon I know or the caring Amazonians I work with every day.”
The NYT report included testimonials from more than 100 current and former Amazon employees – including senior leaders, members of the HR team, marketers, retail specialists and engineers – who cited several cases of employee mistreatment, describing cutthroat managers who were unsympathetic to employees even during times of illness or personal crisis.
Bezos’ unorthodox approach to performance management has come under close scrutiny before, with reports suggesting that Amazon’s warehouse employees are monitored by sophisticated electronic systems to ensure enough boxes are packed every hour, while in its offices, a set of 14 leadership rules spur employees to “be the best”.
The NYT also described how employees are expected to work long, “unreasonable” hours and respond to emails after midnight. Staff deemed to be “underachieving” face being “managed out” rather than offered support, according to reports.
“The joke in the office was that when it came to work-life balance, work came first, life came second, and trying to find the balance came last,” said one former employee.
The GMB union in the UK has warned that employees are under such intense pressure to be an “above-average Amazon robot” that many are suffering musculoskeletal problems, work-related stress and anxiety.
In the past, Amazon’s approach to criticism has been to stay quiet, but in a rare communication to staff this week, Bezos asked employees to read the article and report any issues to HR or him directly.
“If you know of any stories like those reported, I want you to escalate to HR,” he told employees.
“Even if it’s rare or isolated, our tolerance for any such lack of empathy needs to be zero.”
Bezos said the reported incidents of “shockingly callous management practices” didn’t describe the Amazon he recognised, and added: “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.”
According to “several employment lawyers in the Seattle area” referenced in the NYT article, they regularly receive calls from Amazon workers reporting unfair treatment, but this is not enough evidence to win a case based on workplace discrimination.
“I don’t think any company adopting the approach portrayed could survive, much less thrive, in today’s highly competitive tech hiring market,” Bezos told staff.
“Hopefully, you don’t recognise the company described. Hopefully, you’re having fun working with a bunch of brilliant teammates, helping invent the future, and laughing along the way,” he concluded.