How a performance monitoring system automatically dismisses Amazon employees

Foreword

Good day, Habr. Today I publish an interesting translation. The original can be read here . Enjoy reading.

Performance Tracking System

High requirements for Amazon employees have repeatedly led to investigations. However, it turned out that the company not only monitors the productivity of work in its warehouses, but also has a system that dismisses employees on its own due to low rates.

According to Colin Lascher from The Verge, in the period from August 2017 to September 2018, more than 300 workers who worked at the Amazon enterprise in Baltimore fell under such an automatic reduction.

The system records the “inactivity time”.

This indicator makes it clear how often an employee pauses at work and how long they continue.

Earlier it was reported that a lot of employees because of such pressure deliberately worked without interruption.

So here. If the worker does not comply with the norm, the system can warn him or dismiss him altogether automatically, without the intervention of the management.

The company noted that the supervisor has the right to cancel the decision of the program.

If the manager agrees with the decision of the system, the employee receives a notification. So far, not from a robot, but from a live administrator. It is also noted that layoffs can file an appeal.

This is not to say that the dismissal is fully automatic. We would never dismiss an employee without making sure that he gained our full support, namely special and additional training.

But the company uses such methods to increase productivity not only in warehouses. According to Business Insider, drivers who deliver Amazon cargo, instead of going to the toilet normally, turn on the emergency gang and supply it directly to the bottle.

And since the company's profits increase further, it is unlikely that management will ease working conditions and reduce pressure on employees.