Everyone is encouraged to come and see for themselves what it's like to work in an Amazon fulfilment centre and have the ability to talk to associates directly by booking one of our tours across Europe and the US.' Mandatory overtime means employees work up to 60 hours a week 'We are proud of the great working conditions, wages and benefits, and career opportunities we provide for our associates all year round. Cobbled together, they have created a false narrative around our employer practices and misrepresented the experiences of the hundreds of thousands of associates. 'We strongly disagree with these unsubstantiated comments and laundry list of allegations. The majority of these employees worked in 18 warehouses across the US, the UK, and Europe, while others held roles in other departments, including compliance and customer services. But Amazon occupies a unique spot in the retail industry, thanks to its size and influence.īusiness Insider interviewed more than 30 current and former Amazon workers about what it's like to work at the front lines of the company during peak, the period it generally defines as Black Friday, which traditionally falls on the Friday after Thanksgiving, to just before Christmas. The holiday season is a hectic and crucial time for all retailers, not to mention a chaotic, trying time for retail workers who have to deal with Black Friday stampedes or ramped-up online orders in the run-up to Christmas. Bernie Sanders have lobbied for pay raises - all this on the watch of Amazon's founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, whose 'obsessive-compulsive focus on the customer' has turned Amazon into a $790 billion company and made him the richest man in the world. Horror stories of shop-floor working conditions have flooded the news, strikes have raged across Europe, and lawmakers like US Sen. Amazon said it was proud of its 'great working conditions, wages and benefits, and career opportunities.'.Workers also described an internal currency known as 'swag bucks' designed to boost productivity during Amazon's most intense periods of activity.Some workers said the wage boost benefitted them, while others said they were worse off during peak because bonuses were axed. There were conflicting accounts about Amazon's $15 minimum-wage hike.Business Insider obtained figures showing that ambulance callouts to three Amazon warehouses in the UK increased during the company's busiest weeks of the year.They described a 'brutal' reality of long hours, physical labor, fears about taking time off, workplace injuries, and the pressure to keep the wheels turning, even when the weather is treacherous.Amazon's unseen army of hundreds of thousands of warehouse employees ensures millions of parcels are delivered every day during peak.Business Insider spoke with 30 current and former Amazon workers across the US, the UK, and Europe about what it's like to work during peak season, from Black Friday to Christmas.Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.

Amazon back orders twin peaks