Extrinsic Motivation and Turnover at Amazon Warehouses
This business report examines human resource problems at Amazon's warehouse operations, as documented by The New York Times and The Morning Call. The paper summarizes worker complaints about extreme heat, exhausting hours, and inhumane conditions, then analyzes these issues through HR concepts including relationship management, organizational leadership, morale, and human capital. The report argues that misleading job descriptions contribute significantly to high turnover, and recommends that HR adopt more transparent hiring communication and implement extrinsic motivation strategies—such as bonuses, stock, and extended breaks—tied to production goals. Implications for workplace culture, candidate matching, and long-term performance improvement are also discussed.
- Introduction: Introduces Amazon HR problems and report scope
- Summary of Amazon's HR Problems: Documents worker complaints about brutal conditions
- Analysis of Working Conditions and HR Failures: Applies HR theory to Amazon's morale and hiring failures
- Recommendations for HR Improvement: Proposes transparent hiring and extrinsic motivation strategies
- Implications of Recommendations: Projects outcomes for turnover, morale, and performance
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper moves logically from problem summary to analysis to recommendations to implications, giving it a clear, professional business-report structure that is easy to follow.
- It grounds its argument in specific, publicly documented cases (The New York Times and The Morning Call investigations), lending credibility to the claims about Amazon's working conditions.
- The analysis balances competing perspectives — acknowledging that not all workers view the conditions negatively — which prevents the argument from appearing one-sided and demonstrates nuanced thinking.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied HR theory, connecting textbook concepts (expectancy theory, transactional leadership, corporate social responsibility, human capital) directly to a real-world corporate case. Rather than simply describing theory, the student uses it as an evaluative lens to diagnose Amazon's failures and justify specific recommendations, which is the hallmark of applied business writing at the undergraduate level.
Structure breakdown
The paper follows a four-part business report format: a brief introduction establishing the problem and scope, a summary of the documented HR issues, an extended analysis section that applies HR theory to the evidence, a recommendations section offering concrete solutions, and a concluding implications section that projects the practical outcomes of those recommendations. Each section builds directly on the previous one, creating a coherent argumentative chain from problem identification to proposed resolution.
Introduction
HR problems at Amazon have become public knowledge, documented in two major publications: one from The New York Times and another from The Morning Call. This business report addresses those problems, provides a brief summary, and analyzes them using HR concepts and theories. Finally, recommendations are offered and their implications are discussed.
Summary of Amazon's HR Problems
Amazon has unfairly treated workers undergoing cancer treatment by giving them low performance ratings or edging them out of the organization altogether (Kantor & Streitfeld, 2015). Other workers have complained of brutal working conditions: extreme heat, exhaustion, being worked to the point of collapse, heat stress from temperatures rising above 100 degrees, and a feeling among some that the conditions are slave-like (Soper, 2015). Not all workers view the conditions as unbearable — some see it as just another factory job and are grateful for the work. However, the complaints have mounted and attention has been drawn; HR needs to address these issues.
Analysis of Working Conditions and HR Failures
Relationships are vital in any business, and one of the roles of HR professionals is to manage relationships in the workplace (Noe, 2013, p. 14). Another function of HR is to engage in organizational leadership, which can include fostering collaboration among workers and managers and strengthening workplace culture (Noe, 2013, p. 14). At the same time, companies must recognize that they are competing globally, through technology, and through sustainability (Noe, 2013, p. 15). Stakeholders — including workers — must understand that for a business to succeed today, it must be aggressive and focused on performance.
One of the biggest challenges facing Amazon's HR is how to balance worker complaints with the company's need to achieve high performance. Focusing on cutting costs, eliminating waste, and maximizing output are core Amazon goals. Yet some employees find the environment overwhelming, demoralizing, exhausting, and inhumane. This is a serious problem: if employees feel uncared for, they may revolt or deliberately attempt to sabotage operations. Morale is a real and measurable concept that HR must monitor. If morale erodes, performance will mirror that erosion. Just as a company can enhance morale through corporate social responsibility (Noe, 2013, p. 32), so too can a company like Amazon destroy morale by neglecting the needs and complaints of its employees.
Another dimension of the problem is that not all employees feel the same way about the working conditions (Soper, 2015). Some knew what to expect with factory work and were therefore unsurprised by the brutal heat or the exhausting hours. Others took the job because they had no other options. Amazon has contributed to the closure of a significant number of brick-and-mortar retailers, meaning that workers displaced from those jobs often end up at Amazon's fulfillment centers. Those workers are likely accustomed to air-conditioned retail stores with shorter hours and less physically demanding work. It is very likely that some of the workers who find Amazon's labor overwhelming had little idea what to expect when they accepted the position.
This suggests a significant lack of communication between Amazon's hiring staff and the workers applying for factory positions. If job descriptions do not accurately reflect the demanding conditions of the workplace, Amazon's HR is doing a disservice to the company. Turnover will continue to be high if the company provides misleading job descriptions about the nature of the work. HR should be upfront and honest about how demanding the job can be — how brutally hot the environment is, how long and intensive the hours are, and how important it is for the worker to be certain he or she can handle that kind of challenge. Workers who are currently complaining would have less grounds to do so had they been told ahead of time what the working conditions were actually like.
If HR fears that being transparent about actual working conditions will make it harder to fill factory posts, that concern itself may signal a need to improve those conditions. If conditions are so difficult that even honest disclosure makes it impossible to staff the facility, that is likely a sign that the workers' complaints are valid. If, on the other hand, the factory can be adequately staffed after transparent disclosure, it likely indicates that HR has been hiring candidates poorly matched to the role — which explains the high rates of complaints and turnover.
Human capital will always be among the most valuable assets any company holds. Factory labor varies in the skill level required, and many jobs may eventually be eliminated by robotics. Others will remain, with requirements that are demanding in physical terms. Still, this does not mean the company should neglect its workers or fail to provide the best and safest working environment possible. If better cooling systems are available, workers reasonably want to know why they have not been implemented. More frequent or longer breaks are another concern workers have raised (Soper, 2015).
References
Kantor, J., & Streitfeld, D. (2015). Inside Amazon: Wrestling big ideas in a bruising workplace. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-in-a-bruising-workplace.html
Noe, R. (2013). Human resource management. McGraw-Hill.
Soper, S. (2015). Inside Amazon's warehouse. The Morning Call. Retrieved from https://www.mcall.com/news/watchdog/mc-allentown-amazon-complaints-20110917-story.html
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