AMAZON on BBC1 Undercover
Comments
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Of course it is, but with my experience of warehouses there is more often than not the wrong stock in the location you have been sent to, and that is never figured into the times you have been given to pick. Also the fact that in last night programme he was picking in the dark too also giving rise to a unrealistic pick rate. These things do happen and should be remedied as soon as they are reported.
No need to get shirty !! You were the one saying one is doable and the other isn't.0 -
As a postie I walk about 8 miles on a 5 hour delivery, that's out in the elements, constantly going up & down slopes and steps and with a 16kg pouch on my back (plus I've already spent the previous 3 hours of my shift on my feet sorting mail and prepping my walk) so I don't think the Amazon work was that physically demanding at all.
Having said that I wouldn't enjoy the warehouse working environment.
it's not the actual physical labour that is the issue. It's the controlling nature of the job.
You;re out in fresh air, they are in artificual light for most of the time. there were some windows in the warehouse. but many workers will work in a section where they probably never see any natral light.
you can use you head a little, you can decide which route you take. You can decide to unload the heavier items first. Go through business addresses to unload batches of letters in one go. Or larger parcels (you have a trolly, and with all due respect 16kg on a trolly isn;t much).
Imagine if you were given a beeper which counted down your next letter drop and told you the exact order to deliver mail by.
It would be mind numbing and exhausting.0 -
Staff walking over 8 miles on a shift! Working in the dark too with a count down on the scanner used to 'pick' stock' off the shelves.
Yeah, all a bit of a non story really wasn't it?
I have to say, they did try their best to show off the sporting prowess of this guy running across the moors at the start of the programme, but couldn't manage walking for 8 hours and and got blisters on his feet.
Also had to smile having seen him running cross country, that he was complaining about having to walk up a few stairs rather than being allowed to be carried in the goods lift.
Btw, they also get a break in those 8 hours, (At least 20 minutes uninterrupted) but I see they didn't mention that. But they did show he had enough time to stop and chat to others when presumably he should have been working - perhaps that's why he wasn't hitting his targets.
As they said, working in the dark was due to a malfunctioning light (they should come on automatically as they are controlled by movement sensors, but they didn't in one instance and Amazon said they fixed it asap after they were alerted to the malfunction)
8 miles is not far in 8 hours. That's only 1mph, whilst the average person probably strolls along at up to 4x that speed (but obviously not stopping to pick things up every 30 seconds or so) I reckon lots of manual workers probably walk 8 miles in a shift. e.g. Milkman, Postman, Policeman on the beat, etc0 -
I am sure the shift was 10.5 hours and they didn't mention a break of 1 hour but that was not the point.Yeah, all a bit of a non story really wasn't it?
I have to say, they did try their best to show off the sporting prowess of this guy running across the moors at the start of the programme, but couldn't manage walking for 8 hours and and got blisters on his feet.
Also had to smile having seen him running cross country, that he was complaining about having to walk up a few stairs rather than being allowed to be carried in the goods lift.
Btw, they also get a break in those 8 hours, (At least 20 minutes uninterrupted) but I see they didn't mention that. But they did show he had enough time to stop and chat to others when presumably he should have been working - perhaps that's why he wasn't hitting his targets.
As they said, working in the dark was due to a malfunctioning light (they should come on automatically as they are controlled by movement sensors, but they didn't in one instance and Amazon said they fixed it asap after they were alerted to the malfunction)
8 miles is not far in 8 hours. That's only 1mph, whilst the average person probably strolls along at up to 4x that speed (but obviously not stopping to pick things up every 30 seconds or so) I reckon lots of manual workers probably walk 8 miles in a shift. e.g. Milkman, Postman, Policeman on the beat, etcWe’ve had to remove your signature. Please check the Forum Rules if you’re unsure why it’s been removed and, if still unsure, email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com0 -
Did you see C4 dispatches half an hour earlier?
Britains Big Fat Bill
There was a woman on there who had trouble even walking from her kitchen to that expensive tread mill in her lounge.
But she did manage to make it half way down her garden path to that exercise bike (who really keeps an excercise bike half way down their garden path?), but then was so worn out she couldn't manage to climb on it and sit down ...0 -
I am sure the shift was 10.5 hours and they didn't mention a break of 1 hour but that was not the point.
Yeah, let's not spoil a good story, definitely up to any Daily Mail standard, with the facts shall we?
I thought the day shift was 8 hours, but the night shift was longer, but they only work 4 nights a week which is a very common arrangement.
5 shifts a week @ 10.5h per shift would exceed permitted hours under EU directive (unless worker voluntarily chooses to work such extra hours.)0 -
GothicStirling wrote: »Are you certain that its 10 miles and not 10 minutes?....It is the customers fault/ If you don't like the company, stop buying from them and go to a shop instead.
What? You mean like get off my backside and walk to a shop? :eek:
That going to take me at least 20 minutes there & back. I'd have to make plans. Take a tent or book a B&B for an overnight stay for that sort of distance.
Nah, I think I'll do my shopping by the click of the mouse thanks, and then post about the slave labour the supplier forces it's employees to work under.
:cool:0 -
londonTiger wrote: »it's not the actual physical labour that is the issue. It's the controlling nature of the job.
That's the nature of pretty much every salaried job. The company pays the wages, and duuring the time that you are at work, they control what you do.
Amazon seem no more "controlling" than those who employ bus drivers, bakers, postmen, checkout workers, miners...0 -
That's the nature of pretty much every salaried job. The company pays the wages, and duuring the time that you are at work, they control what you do.
Amazon seem no more "controlling" than those who employ bus drivers, bakers, postmen, checkout workers, miners...
Untrue, no jib monitors every second of your shift. Most jobs will allow you to be a human being in between and give you some room to chat with colleagues. What amazon does is akin to sweatshops0 -
Yeah, let's not spoil a good story, definitely up to any Daily Mail standard, with the facts shall we?
I thought the day shift was 8 hours, but the night shift was longer, but they only work 4 nights a week which is a very common arrangement.
5 shifts a week @ 10.5h per shift would exceed permitted hours under EU directive (unless worker voluntarily chooses to work such extra hours.)
According to The Daily Mail he worked four nights a week for 10-and-a-half hours, including a paid half-hour break and two 15-minute unpaid breaks.0
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