According to reports, Amazon aims to improve morale and reduce injuries among stressed warehouse workers by installing so-called “ZenBooths” (interactive kiosks billed as “mindful practice rooms”). It is said that there is
A warehouse employee at the Seattle-based e-retail giant, founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, shares the company’s meditation and wellness guide, which encourages employees to “close your eyes and think about things that make you happy.” A screenshot was leaked.
This screenshot, which also shows a timer in the top right corner of the screen that says “Repeat until timer ends” and indicates 10 seconds left, was leaked by an employee at one of the company’s fulfillment centers. . $17 and $28 per hour.
Amazon has come under fire from worker advocates in recent years for conditions in its warehouses, with some employees urinating in bottles and forgetting to take bathroom breaks due to the frenetic pace and demands of the job. He reported that he was forced to do so.
“Honestly, it felt like a slap in the face.” an employee told 404 Media. “This is just a disconnected corporate cliché that is clearly out of touch with reality.”
Screenshot shows a guide to habits called “Savering,” part of Amazon’s 2021 wellness and meditation plan titled “Working Well,” to improve employees’ mental well-being. The aim is to reduce workplace injuries. .
The program, also called AmaZen, features “support for physical and mental activities, wellness exercises, and healthy eating” that are “scientifically proven to help you recharge and rejuvenate.” .
“Working Well” includes a special section based on meditation and mindfulness, which the company says will “instruct employees in mindfulness practices through separate interactive kiosks located throughout the building.” .
During their shift, warehouse employees can “visit AmaZen stations and watch short videos featuring easy-to-follow wellness activities, including guided meditations, positive affirmations, and calming audio scenes.”
Leila Brown, an Amazon employee who helped create ZenBooth as part of the WorkingWell program, said in the video that her goal is to “create a quiet space where people can focus on their mental and emotional health.” He said it was true. There is. “
Once inside the booth, employees sit near a computer screen and can choose from several mindfulness-based exercises, including guided meditations and calming sounds.
The booth is equipped with a fan and potted plants, and the ceiling is painted to resemble the blue sky.
However, the company removed a promotional video announcing the booth’s rollout after critics on social media accused Amazon of subjecting workers to poor working conditions and overwork.
According to Amazon, employees are given hourly prompts at their workstations that “coach them to recharge and re-energize through a series of scientifically proven physical and mental activities that ultimately reduce their risk of injury.” He said he would receive.
The Post has reached out to Amazon for comment.
Injury rates at Amazon are generally higher than at peers, with critics and occupational safety experts blaming the company’s fast-paced warehouses that track productivity and allow customers to receive packages quickly. are doing.
Last year, a federation of labor unions released a report that found Amazon’s injury rate in 2022 was 70% higher than non-Amazon warehouses.
The report, compiled by the Center for Strategic Organizing, examined data submitted by Amazon to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and found that the company’s injury rate in 2022 was 6.9%, compared with 7.9% the year before. . In 2020, that percentage was 6.6%.
Amazon We published a report last week It was announced that the “record accident rate,” which refers to work-related accidents that require more than basic first aid, has improved by 8% in 2023 compared to the previous year, and by 30% over the past four years.
The company said its “lost-time injury rate” (serious work-related accidents that require someone to miss work) improved by 16% last year compared to 2022, and by 60% over the past four years.
The employee who leaked the video said the meditation guide was out of place, saying, “The lower and middle classes are seeing our country’s financial situation become increasingly strained…while the top executives of these companies… “These people continue to build their portfolios and accumulate disproportionate wealth.”
“As a nation, we’re running out of steam, and yet every menial labor job gets a pop-up that says, ‘Why don’t you close your eyes and think of something happy?’ I think I’ll eat it, thank you,” the employee said.
with post wire
