I have been doing everything I can to steer clear from Amazon and to buy from local stores or just buy direct when possible. For books, I order through local bookstores. For audio books, I'm using Libro.fm - they are linked to local stores across the country, you can link your favorite book seller and they get credit! I don't much care about fast, free shipping anymore. Neither should the rest of us.
I think this is where we are - and it is important to call it out. Workers need to stop deluding themselves into thinking they are anything but a number. I'm not saying this in a way that is meant to bemoan the state of capitalism, but more as a reality check. I won't even try to determine their motives (getting people to quit, real business concern, etc.). Go into any work relationship with a clear eye - they see numbers (mainly revenues and costs) no matter what they say about people.
I love your approach Brian. It's not a good use of our time to speculate on why they're doing it or "who's to blame." The key is to approach it with wisdom and intention, recognizing that while they may not "care" about you as a person, they're far more likely to work things out with you if you approach it with boldness balanced with respect.
I worked for Schneider Electric for ten years. The first six were the best of my career and the last two were my worst. I had a terrible boss and the VP was a bully. The company also forgot how to treat its people. They did things like fire groups in Canada and the US and move the jobs to low cost countries. I had a colleague who needed visa help so they forced him to move to Mexico to keep his job, even though he was engaged to an American.
The final straw was putting a number of technical experts like myself who were recognized experts in a special program and supporting all the North American plants, on Process Improvement Plans, and firing us one by one. I was so miserable I quit, though two months later I received three job offers on the same day. I took the best one, which was at a much smaller company where I had a great boss. A year later I got a great job performance review and was much happier.
For people with choices, companies who treat them badly lose all the great talent no matter what their reputation.
I really wish companies listened to the data on how much the way they treat their people and how managers behave affects company performance. It’s almost always written off as “the cost of doing business” or “there’s nothing you can do.” That’s not true. You absolutely can, and I’ve worked with many orgs over the years committed to doing it right. When you do the performance is always better, and not just marginally.
Well, I know you have the benefit of being retired, so I’m glad you’re out. For the rest of us still going through, I seriously hope we can make a change. There is a better way.
Interesting post, Christopher. I agree with your comments; however, I believe Amazon employees have been aware of this requirement for some time. (Think as far back as 2024) Anyone who values their job at Amazon and wants to stay employed there has likely considered their options before receiving their final "back to work in person" notice.
So, yeah, Amazon has been working on its RTO efforts for a while. However, this dramatic move took even the people working closely on the RTO project by surprise.
What’s most disappointing about it, even from people closer to it, is how little regard is being given to the people affected by it, including those who opt to move. People were largely hired where they reside now, and most of the RTO work was to get people to any physical Amazon location.
The shift to make that location one of the limited hubs and offer little to no support to do what the company is asking is where it gets really disappointing.
From conversations I have with people at Amazon, I don’t know that anyone there has believed Amazon cares about its people for a long time. This is just the next level of careless disregard.
What’s most disappoint is what it says about where we are as a society and the view we have of the very people that keep that society running.
It really is sad, honestly it’s a spiritual war at this point. We worship the systems we build and trust, we have reverence to them, money now next ai automated everything… which is why these moral failings happen, the algorithm told them the most optimized way to do whatever and didn’t take into account human values at all
I have been doing everything I can to steer clear from Amazon and to buy from local stores or just buy direct when possible. For books, I order through local bookstores. For audio books, I'm using Libro.fm - they are linked to local stores across the country, you can link your favorite book seller and they get credit! I don't much care about fast, free shipping anymore. Neither should the rest of us.
I think this is where we are - and it is important to call it out. Workers need to stop deluding themselves into thinking they are anything but a number. I'm not saying this in a way that is meant to bemoan the state of capitalism, but more as a reality check. I won't even try to determine their motives (getting people to quit, real business concern, etc.). Go into any work relationship with a clear eye - they see numbers (mainly revenues and costs) no matter what they say about people.
I love your approach Brian. It's not a good use of our time to speculate on why they're doing it or "who's to blame." The key is to approach it with wisdom and intention, recognizing that while they may not "care" about you as a person, they're far more likely to work things out with you if you approach it with boldness balanced with respect.
I worked for Schneider Electric for ten years. The first six were the best of my career and the last two were my worst. I had a terrible boss and the VP was a bully. The company also forgot how to treat its people. They did things like fire groups in Canada and the US and move the jobs to low cost countries. I had a colleague who needed visa help so they forced him to move to Mexico to keep his job, even though he was engaged to an American.
The final straw was putting a number of technical experts like myself who were recognized experts in a special program and supporting all the North American plants, on Process Improvement Plans, and firing us one by one. I was so miserable I quit, though two months later I received three job offers on the same day. I took the best one, which was at a much smaller company where I had a great boss. A year later I got a great job performance review and was much happier.
For people with choices, companies who treat them badly lose all the great talent no matter what their reputation.
I really wish companies listened to the data on how much the way they treat their people and how managers behave affects company performance. It’s almost always written off as “the cost of doing business” or “there’s nothing you can do.” That’s not true. You absolutely can, and I’ve worked with many orgs over the years committed to doing it right. When you do the performance is always better, and not just marginally.
Well, I know you have the benefit of being retired, so I’m glad you’re out. For the rest of us still going through, I seriously hope we can make a change. There is a better way.
Interesting post, Christopher. I agree with your comments; however, I believe Amazon employees have been aware of this requirement for some time. (Think as far back as 2024) Anyone who values their job at Amazon and wants to stay employed there has likely considered their options before receiving their final "back to work in person" notice.
So, yeah, Amazon has been working on its RTO efforts for a while. However, this dramatic move took even the people working closely on the RTO project by surprise.
What’s most disappointing about it, even from people closer to it, is how little regard is being given to the people affected by it, including those who opt to move. People were largely hired where they reside now, and most of the RTO work was to get people to any physical Amazon location.
The shift to make that location one of the limited hubs and offer little to no support to do what the company is asking is where it gets really disappointing.
From conversations I have with people at Amazon, I don’t know that anyone there has believed Amazon cares about its people for a long time. This is just the next level of careless disregard.
What’s most disappoint is what it says about where we are as a society and the view we have of the very people that keep that society running.
It really is sad, honestly it’s a spiritual war at this point. We worship the systems we build and trust, we have reverence to them, money now next ai automated everything… which is why these moral failings happen, the algorithm told them the most optimized way to do whatever and didn’t take into account human values at all