SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 24, 2021-- Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) announced plans to clamp down on rampant time theft that has been costing the company a fortune. When implemented, the new system will utilize tracking cameras and Alexa AI to monitor and adjust time-cards in realtime.
“The current system is constantly abused, leaving millions on the table every paycheck”, said Derrell Harris, Director of Operations at Amazon. “We see workers falsely claiming 60, 70, 80 hour workweeks. There are no safeguards whatsoever. We find that virtually none of these employees surpass 40 hours of actual work in a typical week, and many of them would fall below the threshold for full-time benefits, another example of the cost-savings we hope to achieve”.
The first warehouse to undergo a trial run of the new system is the Fort Worth (AZFW) facility. Aided by the helpful, ever-present watch of cameras that line the facility, workers will be closely monitored as they earn their wages. Deviations such as unscheduled breaks, looking away from the sorting machines for longer than internal regulations, and slow productivity will trigger Alexa into adjusting or removing these instances of “micro-wage theft”. At the end of the day, workers will be presented with their time adjusted workday, with the option to either accept the new total, or to reject and send to a panel for adjudication.
“We find that most workers just want their paychecks, and aren’t willing to wait the 3-5 weeks it takes to review. Plus, too many disputes per paycheck will automatically trigger a termination of the employee, as we find such employees do not fit well with company culture”, Harris continued.
Amazon’s efforts have been praised by the business community and regulators alike. “Wage theft is a serious problem, and causes hardworking employees to be displaced”, said Lukas Walton, director of the National Labor Relations Board. “We expect Amazon’s ventures into cost savings would allow them to hire additional employees, thereby reducing unemployment and stimulating the economy.”
Amazon expects nationwide deployment could happen as early as Q3 of 2022.
“We find that most workers just want their paychecks, and aren’t willing to wait the 3-5 weeks it takes to review. Plus, too many disputes per paycheck will automatically trigger a termination of the employee, as we find such employees do not fit well with company culture”.