MooseBreath Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 Anyone see this? It's on iPlayer. Set out to show how awful conditions are at an amazon warehouse. Key points: - workers are set targets which are tough but achieveable - they have to walk as much as a whole mile per hour - hand held scanners make locating and collecting items a breeze - sometimes the trolleys get a little heavy - workers are expected not to be be off sick all the time and are given warnings if they are - the job is so easy that workers hardly have to use their brains at all Is it just me, or is that all pretty reasonable? It might be a shock to public sector workers but most people in the real world are actually expected to be productive in return for their wage. What are the BBC trying to achieve with this nonsense?
purpleronnie Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 I understand why they do it, the huge amounts of sales they have and a business based on good customer service, I guess its like any job, if you don't like it leave. Could be tough for some but there are a lot tougher jobs out there.
ronnup Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 You've no ****ing idea about public sector you idiot
Guest MattP Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 You've no ****ing idea about public sector you idiot He has he has worked in it before.
Zingari Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 Don't they have to shoot poisoned darts through blow pipes at tree monkeys anymore ?
ronnup Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 He has he has worked in it before. Doesn't make a sweeping, idiotic statement true.
Larry_LCFC Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 The targets are stupid. The guy that did the documentary is clearly a fit guy and he struggled to get near the targets. Its not that its a difficult job, it just has silly expectations. The guy said it could be achieved if you ran in-between items. But who could keep that up for 9 hours. Add to that some of the lighting in the place doesn't even work so your searching in the dark, and it seems a pretty shit place to work.
marko Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 I walk more than a mile in an hour in my job! For how much of that mile is your cock hanging out?
Guest MattP Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 Doesn't make a sweeping, idiotic statement true. No more true than saying he knows nothing about the public sector though.
Larry_LCFC Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 I walk more than a mile in an hour in my job! The guy was doing over 11 miles a day, every day, pushing a heavy trolley and using multiple staircases. Plus the pressure of having to hit a "1 item every 30 seconds" target or face a disciplinary, really wouldn't help. Doing that all week would be gruelling for the fittest of people.
ronnup Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 No more true than saying he knows nothing about the public sector though. Based on his statement. I stand by what I said. If he stands by his I stand by mine. Alright love?
Guest MattP Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 Based on his statement. I stand by what I said. If he stands by his I stand by mine. Alright love? No problem gorgeous xxxxx
Danizen Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 I've not seen this but I worked at the one near Brogborough a few years ago. While I was there I got talking to this girl. Something about her seemed dodgy and it was only a couple of weeks after she left that I found out she was a reporter for The Times. She published an article with the exact same criticisms as the Panorama documentary (top marks to the BBC for originality). I didn't think the targets were that bad (not on the packing side, anyway) and I regularly exceeded them but I was pissed off that the level of bonus was dependent on the performance of the warehouse as a whole rather than individually so I ended up getting less than half of what I was expecting. I did have a couple of sick days just before Christmas so that part is just an idle threat as well.
MooseBreath Posted 27 November 2013 Author Posted 27 November 2013 The guy was doing over 11 miles a day, every day, pushing a heavy trolley and using multiple staircases. Plus the pressure of having to hit a "1 item every 30 seconds" target or face a disciplinary, really wouldn't help. Doing that all week would be gruelling for the fittest of people. To my memory they said he did 6 miles one day and a bit less than 11 in another. That's over a ten hour shift, and presumably those were at the higher end of normal, so I'd expect his actually daily average was closer to five miles, or half a mile an hour, snails pace. Climbing stairs a couple of times a day. Oh golly call an ambulance. Lights sometimes fail = they're constantly being forced to work in the pitch black? Somehow I doubt it. Why would amazon not move quickly to replace a 50p lightbulb if it was going to affect productivity. Pure desperation from the BBC. Targets were based on general worker performance and he was only expected to get close, he didn't need to hit it. Again why would amazon discipline people for not hitting impossible targets? It makes no business sense. The workers are expected to work hard yes, but isn't that what work is about? Working?
MooseBreath Posted 27 November 2013 Author Posted 27 November 2013 You've no ****ing idea about public sector you idiot The last time someone called me an idiot for no reason I got banned, so I think I'll leave this angry little man alone
Zingari Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 I walk more than a mile in an hour in my job! stalking isn't strictly speaking a job just joking lamby
cambridgefox Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 For how much of that mile is your cock hanging out?3"
LCFC_FAN_1995 Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 Saw that last night, them targets are only achievable if you're literally running, which is kind of against health and safety... Not getting a break for long because you've got to reach the target.. I mean it was just stupid, getting half a point if you went home sick or had a day on the sick, just beyond a joke
Zingari Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 do women get longer to fill the orders because they've got shorter legs? will they be suing Amazon for broken pelvises in a few years time ?
Rincewind Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 I saw the programme. I doubt I could meet the targets. You have to be pretty fit which I am not. Another thing I don't know whether it has been mentioned, the hours worked and rest breaks could break laws. They did say they were within the law but definitions vary and from what I have seen others do it and workers do it because they need the money and work.
pSinatra Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 You won't find many Romanians moaning at those working conditions
Guest MattP Posted 27 November 2013 Posted 27 November 2013 I've heard most workers do their jobs because they need the money. Obviously I don't know the full facts though.
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