Tuesday, August 31, 2021

BIDEN CRONY MODERN SLAVER JEFF BEZOS - ‘Unregretted Attrition:’ Amazon Mercilessly Weeds Out 6% of Office Workforce Each Year

OTHER THAN JOE 'BRIBES' BIDEN, THERE IS NO GREATER THREAT TO AMERICA THAN THESE TECH TYRANTS!


‘Unregretted Attrition:’ Amazon Mercilessly Weeds Out 6% of Office Workforce Each Year

Jeff Bezos explaining 'Unregretted Atrittion'
AFP/Getty
3:02

According to internal documents from the e-commerce and tech giant Amazon, the company purposefully forces six percent of its office employees out of the company each year, a metric Amazon calls “unregretted attrition.”

The Seattle Times reports that according to internal Amazon documents, the e-commerce giant attempts to remove six percent of its office workforce from the company every year. Amazon uses a series of processes in proprietary software to meet the turnover target among its lowest-ranked office workers, a metric which Amazon calls “unregretted attrition.”

AFP

New Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, photographed on March 24, 2014, inherits both challenges and rewards from mentor Jeff Bezos

The Associated Press

In this Dec. 17, 2019, file photo, Amazon packages move along a conveyor at an Amazon warehouse facility in Goodyear, Ariz. Amazon’s pandemic boom isn’t showing signs of slowing down. The company said Thursday, April 29, 2021, that its first-quarter profit more than tripled from a year ago, fueled by the growth of online shopping. It also posted revenue of more than $100 billion, the second quarter in row that the company has passed that milestone. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

 

The documents appear to reveal that Amazon’s systems and processes closely resemble the management practice known as “stack ranking” which grades employees’ performance against their peers rather than measuring their performance based on their job description or performance goals.

Amazon HQ2 design Helix

Amazon HQ2 design Helix

Amazon reportedly expects more than one-third of employees placed on performance improvement initiatives to fail but has previously said that these initiatives are not meant to punish employees. The Seattle Times describes the internal Amazon ranking process writing:

Amazon recommends that managers of teams of more than 50 people distribute performance ratings on a curve, with 20% of employees rated “top tier,” and the lowest-performing 5% rated “least effective,” according to images of presentation slides for a training given to managers seen by The Seattle Times. The presentation is undated but appears to be from late 2020 or early this year, based on slides describing the 2021 performance review timeline.

Through the company’s internal personnel dashboard, called Ivy, Amazon’s human resources department requires managers to “initiate documented coaching” with low-ranked employees or else see the issue elevated to their boss, according to the presentation.

Ivy is “the single most-trafficked site” within the company, with three million hits daily, according to a recent Amazon job posting. Ivy launched roughly 18 months ago, according to Anderson, but its existence has not been previously reported.

Anna Tavis, a New York University professor of human capital management, commented on Amazon’s system stating: “It’s the old stack ranking with a new, automated twist to it. They’re automating the most important management function: employee development and coaching, helping people get better and perform.”

Many Amazon employees are reportedly not a fan of the ranking system. One former Amazon manager told the Seattle Times: “When you have to ‘Sophie’s Choice’ your employees, it’s not cool.”

Read more at the Seattle Times here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com

Report: Amazon Increasing Surveillance of Delivery Drivers

Amazon sued over online sales of Cuban charcoal
AFP
3:23

Amazon revealed plans to equip its delivery vans with high-tech surveillance cameras, now workers are arguing that the cameras are not only an invasion of privacy but a safety hazard also.

Breitbart News has reported extensively on Amazon’s monitoring of its employees. In February, Breitbart News reported that Amazon announced plans to install AI-enabled cameras in vans used by some of its contracted delivery partners, but the firm has been using software to track delivery drivers for years.

Amazon delivery driver

Amazon delivery driver

Jeff Bezos holds goggles to his face

Amazon requires all contracted delivery drivers to download and run a smartphone app called “Mentor” that monitors their driving behavior while they’re working. The app generates a score each day that measures employees’ driving performance.

In 2018 Amazon launched the delivery service partner (DSP) program. The program is made up of contracted delivery firms that handle a growing number of Amazon’s last-mile deliveries. Since its launch, the program has grown to include more than 1,300 delivery firms across five countries, posing a major threat to an industry that was previously dominated by shipping giants such as UPS and FedEx.

The Mentor app is framed as a “digital driver safety app,” to help employees avoid accidents and other potentially dangerous driving habits while delivering Amazon items. However, multiple delivery drivers speaking to CNBC described the app as invasive and raised concerns about bugs within the app that at times lead to unfair disciplinary actions from their manager.

Now as the AI-powered cameras are beginning to be fitted in delivery vehicles, many employees are beginning to complain. Jacobin reports that the cameras operate on a platform called Driveri developed by a California-based company called Netradyne. The cameras reportedly provide instant direction to drivers, such as telling them “please slow down,” while also storing data on employee performance and delivery metrics.

The Associated Press

An Amazon Prime logo appears on the side of a delivery van as it departs an Amazon Warehouse location, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, in Dedham, Mass. Halloween is still weeks away, but retailers are hoping you’ll start your holiday shopping now. The big push is coming from Amazon, which is holding its annual Prime Day sales event Tuesday, Oct. 13 and Wednesday, Oct. 14. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Karolina Haraldsdottir, a senior manager of the last-mile delivery operation at Amazon, commented on the cameras in a video stating: “Our intention in introducing this technology is to set up drivers for success.” But many employees are unhappy with the system.

One delivery driver based out of Washington state told Jacobin: “My direct supervisor mentioned that ‘a bunch of people’ said they were going to quit when the cameras were installed.” He added: “I think the cameras are needlessly invasive and completely unnecessary, especially given the other layers of surveillance and scrutiny placed upon us by Amazon. Most, if not all, of my coworkers feel the same way.”

The Washington driver added: “We’re all just out here trying to do our best, but we also have to contend with knowing that each week, computers spit out metrics for us which require multiple pages to properly display, and a drop in those abstract numbers could lose us jobs. All I want to do is deliver my damn packages and go home, man.”

Read more at Jacobin here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com

Watch Out Retail: Amazon Is Opening Department Stores.....AFTER BEZOSHEAD DESTROYED EVERY INDIE BOOKSTORE IN AMERICA!!!

Jeff Bezos holds goggles to his face
Joe Raedle /Getty
2:32

Tech and e-commerce giant Amazon reportedly plans to open multiple large physical stores across the United States that will operate similarly to department stores. Amazon is already the largest seller of clothing in the United States.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon plans to open multiple large physical retail locations in the United States similar to department stores. The decision comes as the company aims to increase the sales of its clothing, household items, electronics, and other products.

VAN HORN, TEXAS – JULY 20: Jeff Bezos speaks about his flight on Blue Origin’s New Shepard into space during a press conference on July 20, 2021 in Van Horn, Texas. Mr. Bezos and the crew that flew with him were the first human spaceflight for the company. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

It is expected that some of the first locations will open in Ohio and California. The retail spaces will be around 30,000 square feet, which is smaller than the average department store — which spans around 100,000 feet. The Amazon stores will still be a huge increase in terms of size over its Amazon Go grocery stores and will reportedly look something like a scaled-down Bloomingdale or Nordstrom store.

It is expected that the Amazon stores will stock top brands as well as the company’s own private-label products. Currently, Amazon is the largest seller of clothing in the United States, according to Wells Fargo & Co.

Department stores have seen a major decline in popularity in recent years, partially caused by the rise in e-commerce that Amazon contributed heavily to. 25 years ago, department stores accounted for about 10 percent of all retail sales, excluding automobiles, gas, and restaurants. According to analysis from the consulting firm Customer Growth Partners, they now account for less than one percent.

As the coronavirus pandemic grew, department stores took an even bigger hit with many shoppers reluctant to visit physical locations. Companies such as J.C. Penney, Neiman Marcus Group Inc., Lord & Taylor, and Stage Stores Inc. were all forced to file for bankruptcy.

The Associated Press

In this July 14, 2021 file photo, pedestrians pass the Macy’s store in the Downtown Crossing shopping area, in Boston. Americans cut back on their spending last month as a surge in COVID-19 cases kept people away from stores. Retail sales fell a seasonal adjusted 1.1% in July from the month before, the U.S. Commerce Department said Tuesday, Aug. 17. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

But analysts are expecting that department stores will be around for some time. It’s expected that chains including Macy’s and Kohl’s will report strong sales in the coming months as many shoppers rush to restock on clothing after reducing purchases last year.

Read more at the Wall Street Journal here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com

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