Anonymous Source Sheds Light on Inhumane Amazon Culture, Toxic Work Environment  

Amazon is notorious for treating their warehouse and transportation employees poorly, but recent allegations have accused Amazon of treating their white collared positions appallingly as well. A recent article, written anonymously, tells the tragic story of a former Amazon worker’s experience with the company during his wife’s battle with cancer. The anonymous source claims that he took a job with Amazon because of the enticing annual salary of $300,000, believing that the rumors about the workplace culture were over exaggerated. After starting the job, he realized he was terribly mistaken. The work culture was described as “inhumane” and heartless, and employees are allegedly treated as “cogs in a machine.”

The anonymous individual’s wife was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. After this diagnosis his productivity declined, and he was warned by his superiors that this decline would not be tolerated. When he explained the situation, they did not care, and provided him with two options: he could go on family leave and forfeit his income, or he could stay in his position and work more productively so he could keep his job. Seeing no other option, he stayed and worked to the best of his ability to be as productive as possible. This was still not enough for his superiors, who then allegedly assigned him to a project that was designed to have employees fail. Such projects were used to validate letting employees go. The individual took family leave for a few months in order to avoid hitting a breaking point. When his wife entered hospice, he returned to his position so he could make ends meet. Amazon subsequently fired him with little to no remorse for his situation. He was placed on COBRA for three months, and during this time his wife sadly passed away. He described staying up every night during her last week just to be with her. It was extremely painful, and the fact that Amazon did not express any care for his situation made finances a constant underlying stressor. He believes it was a combination of his direct boss and the overall Amazon work culture that generated this inhumane experience. 

What Can Employees Do to Combat Toxic Work Environments? 

• Talk to human resources to address the situation. Human resource departments are in place to handle issues with the workplace.
• Call a lawyer to see if you have a legal claim against the establishment. This could include a discrimination or overtime claim. 
• Keep a journal of clear detailed examples of what you witness within the workplace. This should be kept on a personal device or notebook, so that the company can not access the information. 
• Use mindfulness practices to combat the toxic environment.

Seek Legal Assistance Today

If you are facing a toxic work environment, seek assistance from the Working Solutions Law Firm, located in New York City and Livingston, NJ. Contact us today at (201) 817-9650 to schedule a free case evaluation and receive experienced legal counsel. With offices in New York and New Jersey, our team of employment lawyers works hard to be the best for each client. This includes discrimination litigation.  In addition, the FMLA may provide protection in some situations; speaking with an FMLA lawyer in New York City, and/or New Jersey may be your best option.