Essay Undergraduate 1,337 words

Extrinsic Motivation and Turnover at Amazon Warehouses

~7 min read 5 sections Business · Employee Relation

Abstract

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.

Key Takeaways

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.

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Essay 1,337 words

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.

3 Sections Hidden · 960 words

Analysis of Working Conditions and HR Failures560 words

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,…

Recommendations for HR Improvement270 words

HR may recognize that the work is demanding, but at the same time workers should be made to understand that the nature of globalization is such that it has made work more demanding by necessity: gone is the standard 40-hour work week; organizations now operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and shifts in factories like Amazon's are more likely to be 12 hours long than 8 hours long (Noe, 2013, p. 27). It is therefore recommended that HR be more transparent in…

Implications of Recommendations130 words

The implications of these recommendations are that they would tighten up the way in which HR approaches the issue of hiring candidates for factory work. By describing the nature of the work more accurately and honestly,…

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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

Key Concepts in This Paper

Extrinsic Motivation Employee Turnover Job Description Human Capital Workplace Morale Expectancy Theory Transactional Leadership Working Conditions Globalization HR Management