12
eNPS Score
Q&A With Amazon Employees
Our leadership principles empower us to be owners and innovators while maintaining our customer ecentricity. We're willin to take risks - innovating requires failing.
How employees describe working at Amazon
Open, transparent, detailed technical questions and representative of company culture
Reasonably good pay for my grade.
I'm very happy and grateful for this opportunity. This is a new career move for me. Over 20 years in a different field. Amazon has me excited to come to work everyday again.
Review from Operations Dept
Strong vision and ability to execute
Review from Product Dept
My team is amazing. Thoughtful, smart, and they live our leadership principles.
Review from Marketing Dept
What it's like to work at Amazon
- Amazon employees generally work 9.5 hrs a day
- Employees at Amazon report the work pace is extremely fast
- On a typical day, employees at Amazon have 2 meetings
- 81% of Amazon employees look forward to interacting with their team every day
- Amazon employees most often take 20-30 paid vacation and sick days each year
- 62% of Amazon employees report they are happy with their work life balance
- Amazon employees typically get valuable feedback on how to improve at work Every Week
- 76% of Amazon employees call their work environment positive
Q&A With Amazon Employees
IDX: 0 TOT: 172
What is the best part about your compensation package at Amazon?
Top Employee Response
Lots of overtime work, such as on-call and when there is deadline.
Because we get micro managed by managers that have no social skills and yell at employees on the floor in front of people. A raise yearly
needed surgery this year, made out of pocket limit and the rest was covered. Lower than usual 80% company pay /20% you pay, more like 90/10
What makes you most happy at Amazon?
Top Employee Response
That I go into work and do my job and don't have to worry about what anyone else and the fact I only have to work 4 ten hour days and get
I get to learn new things that would help me in jobs that require experience that would usually require a degree or certification.
Training, communication and a focus on quality over quantity are big musts.
What do you like best about the leadership team at Amazon?
Top Employee Response
The leadership principles are not just words on the wall - we live them every day.
Communication and team effort. Everyone needs to be on the same page.
Ops and senior ops are ridiculous and half the time management is clueless
What is most positive about the culture and environment at Amazon?
Top Employee Response
Communication, teamwork and honesty. Managers give political or generic responses.
The people who work at the ground level are generally wonderful to work with. Their diversity in culture and personality is refreshing.
Stop favoritism & get supervisors that know what they are doing
What are some of the best things about your team at Amazon?
Top Employee Response
The other people that work in my department are hard working and try their best
Training, communication, and consistency for direct path teams would help.
My team in my area is always working with other coworkers in order to get work done easier.
What does the leadership team at Amazon need to get better at?
Top Employee Response
My manager was rarely involved with what I was working on. He was not a very effective mentor and didn't bring much value to the team.
I don't know enough about them to comment or rate. They are nice enough but aren't genuine in their concern for real issues.
Leadership needs to get better at recognizing night shift accomplishments and reach out to say them to the actual employee.
What needs to change to make the company culture better at Amazon?
Top Employee Response
talk to the CEO? I love this co. but now that we have 2 peaks and OT every other week, we should be able to accrue more personal time.
Bezos needs to be removed and replaced with someone that believes in running the company ethically and properly compensating its employees.
Finding a definition for" reasonable expectation" placing managers before employees instead of laptops then they'll see the big picture.
What's going wrong and how can it be improved at Amazon?
Top Employee Response
I personally dislike going to work because of the drama that everyone brings into work with them. If we have a day without drama it is amazi
unfair treatment plus some of the co workers makes you look bad then they will believe in them because they are favorites.
Treat others how you want to be treated,be fair with the work,as a leader know your job and mine,everyday teach me something new about Amazo
What do your coworkers need to improve and how could you work together better at Amazon?
Top Employee Response
Be proactive in getting to know each other and not necessarily leaning only on the people you already know when there are team changes.
Get rid of the outsourced employees answering North American questions from customers.
Communication. Too many people promoted for the wrong reasons. Way too much backstabbing. Capped salaries.
Why do you feel undervalued and what would make you feel better about your compensation at Amazon?
Top Employee Response
More pay for seniority who can't move up past a tier1, but has tried for 4yrs.
Don't feel valued as employee. It's all about hours and numbers.
I feel like a number, not an employee. They don't care about there employees. The hardest workers get fired for negative UPT .
How's the vacation policy at Amazon?
Top Employee Response
10 Annual Vacation in 1st Year which increases to 15 days from second year and 20 days from 6th year. 6 Holidays and 6 days of Personal Time off.
Time accrues each pay period. You have to request it at least 24 hours in advance. There is a seasonal black out period.
Awesome,you get PTO and vacation pay accruals every two weeks.UPT accruals every quarter-20 hrs/quarter.Amazon is very flexible with time off accept at peak,which is understandable because they are very busy and you can make some good money at Christmas if you push yourself.
How's the work life balance at Amazon?
Top Employee Response
I've been an SDE2 for a little over 3 years at Amazon, and over those 3 years, there have only been 5 days total where I've worked more than 8 hours that day, and those 8 hours include lunch. I do not have my work e-mail on my personal phone, so there's no way for me to check or respond to work e-mails on evenings and weekends. I've received positive performance review all 3 years, and my manager is grooming me for an SDE3 promotion.
Let me put the t this way, amazon/ aws is the devil. If you are willing to fully sell your soul they will take it. Day one, you must establish your boundaries and keep them as the norm or long days, early morning phone calls and weekend work will become your norm. It's a great place for those whom established their boundaries
Too much work and not enough life outside of work
Males any different treatment?
Top Employee Response
For corporate: Outside of the usual inherent bias found everywhere no. Amazon is making earnest efforts to improve this with a new and improved diversity and inclusion team created around 2016/17. I have been impressed with their efforts and have seen noticeable change from my first 2-3 years with the company. However, it is a mixed bag that depends on org/manager so be sure to question any hiring manager carefully and ask for the team's female breakdown. If the breakdown is below the general population in the field ask why. Teams are often inherited so while it isn't a red flag it is a yellow. If they are at or above the avg for the field you're usually good but to be safe either way I would ask to speak with a woman on the team.
Not really
No
How often do employees get raises at Amazon?
Top Employee Response
Amazon only gives raises for the first 3 years of employment and then you are capped at whatever rate you are at. It will only go up if they raise the cap at the current site you work at. For the last few years my site has only given raises to new hires with out raising the cap so I have brand new associates making almost the same rate as myself a 6 year associate(gave not left because time off is actually worth it) Also they no longer give warehouse workers stock or bonuses.
Seems to be every 3 months so far- I am 6 months in and have received two. I am sure that will stop once they feel pay is too good.
Every six months at my location you get a 40 cent pay increase until year 2. Then after 3 year you get a final 80 cent pay increase.
What's the best part of your job at Amazon?
Top Employee Response
Working with smart people.
Satisfying consumers
The fast pace, shifts fly by
What unique perks and benefits does Amazon provide?
Top Employee Response
Benefits are phenomenal. You can invest up to $300 weekly into Amazon stock. The health insurance rates range from approximately $7.50 - $21.00 weekly for a single plan. The 7.50 rate includes a $500 HSA which leaves employee with a $500 deductible. The health plans are Aetna and BCBS and are top notch plans. The vision and dental plans are also affordable and top notch. The best plans are only a little over $2.00 weekly for a single plan. The best vision and dental plans pay for frames, contact lenses and up to $2,000 in orthodontics (braces). They also have a 401k plan through Vanguard that has many options for investment depending on how many years you are away from retirement. Trust me, I worked in HR for many years. I just left HR to go to Amazon for their benefit package. There is a built in workout in your job. You will not have a reason to join a health club. I lost five pounds after my first five nights & I am small. Pay could be better for the level of work!
Food and beverages are sometimes offered, you will lose weight and be more in shape, some employee discounts with restriction, free gloves
Few perks. 10% off Amazon Prime purchased but up to $1000 or $100 in discounts.
What's the pay like for Operations roles at Amazon?
I imagine it’s good....maybe could be better for all they deal with if people leave easily....
standard across the board
too low for work required
What benefits does Amazon provide?
Top Employee Response
Health, vision, dental, commuter benefits, 401k matching
Depends varies.
Vision dental medical and personal time and excellent pay and holiday pay and overtime pay. Because of my job at Amazon it may be possible for me to have a place of my own and still have money to care for my needs. Because of Amazon - even though I have a mental/emotional disability, I can still save up and live a simple independent life! Thank you so much Amazon!
What is the dress code at Amazon?
Top Employee Response
Working at home I can wear what I want. As for physical locations, no clue
Depends on position. Some have uniforms others are business casual or business attire.
Casual
How long does it take to hear back after applying to Amazon?
Top Employee Response
Between 1 day and 2 weeks
It has been 2 weeks for me and still nothing from amazon
I applied online and it has been a month. No response yet
How can I improve my chances of being hired at Amazon?
If I want to improve, I will work on it. Othewise, its a famous fact "Where there is a will, there is a way"
Previous customer service is not required, but again it all depends on the position you are applying for.
Respect consumers
How's the morale at Amazon?
Not real high because of the so few hours
For the most part, it's good. The associates are the part that makes it enjoyable and what gets you through the day.
Not good!!!
How challenged are you at Amazon?
challenged to make rate or be fired
In good way: somewhat. In beat your head against the wall due to egos and arrogance: every minute of everyday
Challenged daily to learn new things, every day is day 1!
If you could make changes, how would you improve the culture at Amazon?
Top Employee Response
More exposure to senior engineers
Improve the pay and benefits and opportunities for advancement, especially for those with greater length of service
I would make the employee feel wanted and not fearful of their job on a daily basis.
Does the company practice any form of Job Rotation? If so, in what structure and to what objective?
No job rotation in the warehouse department I'm in except for about a handful of people. Drives up productivity, keeps down training costs, apparently. Sprains, strains, and the occasional carpal tunnel syndrome seem pretty common from where I'm standing. I don't know what this complex job rotation algorithm is all about in the last shareholder letter. You have to actually be willing to invest money on training people on different tasks first. Nice PR move after the Alabama anti-union vote. I think Amazon being the Safest Place to Work is still a while away.
There has to be some type of rotation daily. This will help with people injury rates. Also working different parts of the body. Less injury. Take heed from the big 3, Bridgewater, Johnson Controls, Magna. Think more of your employees. Your turn over rate will drop dramatically. Your overall output will be consistent.
I’ll side with the ones saying favorites lol that’s a reality at least in my building.
Curious about what work's like at Amazon?
Anonymously Ask Amazon Employees Any Question
Should I work at Amazon?
44% of Amazon employees would encourage their friends to become coworkers, whereas 24% are neutral and 32% would not recommend working at Amazon to their friends.
| 44% | Promoters |
|---|---|
| 24% | Passive |
| 32% | Detractors |
