CASE ANALYSIS: AMAZON 1

Factors That Determine Appropriate Demands Made on Employees

The extent to which one should be nice or close to a coworker is a subject that

explores the issues of workplace cohesion, teamwork and the suitability of the workplace

environment. Moreover, it is essential to be mindful of how relationships manifest at the

workplace and the ethics that govern such relationships. The creation of suitable workplace

remains a multifaceted task and an elusive idea. There are limits to the demands the

leadership of an organization can place on employees. Work demands comprise one of the

most common work-related sources of stress. Even though employees might need challenging

activities to create and sustain their motivation and interest, as well as develop new skills and

knowledge, it is important to ensure that the demands placed on them do not exceed their

capacity to cope. Employees can cope with work demands if they are not excessive,

especially since research has shown that workers perform better when they are truly rested

(Porath, 2018). The culture of overwork only kills an organization since it results in few

workers on staff getting tasks well done, or done at all.

When it comes to the factors that influence ethical obligations in a work environment,

the human resource and the leadership of an organization has to weigh upon the employee

needs, the organizational goals, the customer demands amidst the existing options depending

on the situation at hand. One size does not fit all. As such, the article “Inside Amazon:

Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace” serves a case study on which some of the

factors that determine appropriate demands made on employees may be explored and

discussed. In the article, the authors describe how employees struggled “to reconcile the

sometimes-punishing aspects of their workplace with what many called its thrilling power to

create” (Kantor & Streitfeld, 2015). Therefore, the case is evidence that there are limits to the

demands that can be placed on employees all in the name of improving the financial standing

of a company.
CASE ANALYSIS: AMAZON 2

It is for this reason that it can be argued that the leadership of an organization should

be morally bound to protect the well-being of their employees. Even though the case study

shows that there are former Amazon employees who feel that they thrived because of the

company’s culture to push employees beyond their limits, others are of a different opinion – a

negative culture. Employee well-being is not a new concept and as such, companies like

Amazon should take the needed steps to support the well-being of their employees. The

leadership needs engaged and productive members of staff and it counts on the skills and

capabilities of employees to deliver quality work, therefore, the leadership should in turn

empower their employees to perform at their best. One way of doing that is paying attention

to their wellbeing because employees’ performance and wellbeing go hand in hand.

Professor Porath’s Approach: Civility

Professor Porath offers a different approach to managing employees as compared to

Amazon’s approach as discussed by Kantor & Streitfeld (2015). Professor Porath discussed

how incivility negatively affects the well-being of employees and ultimately, their

performance. Quoting a colleague, Porath (2018) notes that “small, uncivil actions can lead to

much bigger problems like aggression and violence,” and may also affect the “performance

and the bottom line” of an organization. Therefore, Porath (2018) proposes an organization

that is civilized, one that is devoid of comments that will make employees feel inferior. For

example, using words that trigger rudeness such as "What is it with you? You arrive late, you

[are] irresponsible. Look at you! How do you expect to hold a job in the real world?" can

have a negative impact on employees’ performance.

Therefore, Professor Porath describes the impact of incivility in the context of

managerial morality. The management should interact with the employees civilly and with

respect because employees appreciate respect and civility. A study found that employees

globally want to be treated with respect by their leaders: “being treated with respect was more
CASE ANALYSIS: AMAZON 3

important than recognition and appreciation, useful feedback, even opportunities for learning

(Porath, 2018). The speaker further notes that employees who feel respected tend to be

healthier, more engaged, more focused and more likely to remain with a company. Therefore,

the management can use civility to boost the morale and performance of employees.

Resulting Outcomes for Amazon

The likely outcome for an organization like Amazon is much dependent on the extent

to which the leadership of the organization is going to push the limits. It is up to the human

resource faction at Amazon to strike a balance between what is ‘strict enough’ and ‘too

strict’. It is important to understand that Amazon is an enterprise that was founded on the

freedom that comes with disruptive nature of technological platforms. Therefore, harsher

approaches to supervision may come off as creating a hostile environment for the

Amazonians. If the change is implemented abruptly with little regard for employee welfare

then the company should brace for the possibility of opposition from workers - which comes

with the natural human tendency to resist change. Already the regular worker at Amazon

grapples with extreme workload pressure and the need to perform. However, much would

depend on the implementation approach.

The culture of work at Amazon is already too demanding for the worker. According

to Kantor & Streitfeld (2015), “A lot of people who work there feel this tension: It’s the

greatest place I hate to work,” said John Rossman (par. 13). Therefore any attempt to further

monitor if employees are packing enough boxes every hour would be deemed to too harsh

and less forgiving for the employee. Instead it would be more advisable to seek avenues that

would make the work easier for the employee and improve general efficiency. It is said that

Amazons ability to exploit the potential of employee has earned the organization a top spot in

the American corporate arena. However, adding more pressure to the already overwhelmed

workers may only attract reduced performance from the employees in the long run.
CASE ANALYSIS: AMAZON 4

Work demands for employees include one of the most common work-related sources

of stress – performance pressure. As such, the demands may lead to a negative outcome for

the employee and the organization as a whole since the average worker at Amazon already

grapples with extreme workload pressure and the need to perform (Kantor & Streitfeld,

2015). Employees can cope with work demands if they are not excessive. As already noted

above, the leadership at Amazon needs engaged and productive members of staff and it

counts on the skills. Employee welfare is concept that has remained questionable in retail

companies that server millions of customers on a daily basis under aggressive customer

expectation and strict environment. Thus Amazon should accept the challenge to implement

strategies aligned with the well-being of their employees. Besides research has shown that

workers perform better when they are truly rested.

CASE ANALYSIS: AMAZON 5

References

Kantor, J., & Streitfeld, D. (2015). Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising

Workplace (Published 2015). Nytimes.com. Retrieved 21 October 2020, from

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-

in-a-bruising-workplace.html.

Porath, C. (2018). Why being respectful to your coworkers is good for business. Ted.com.

Retrieved 21 October 2020, from

https://www.ted.com/talks/christine_porath_why_being_respectful_to_your_coworker

s_is_good_for_business/up-next?language=en#t-159158.