Amazon Case Study 2- HR Management

1. Does the people management strategy of care and compassion make business sense?
Management strategy of treating people with care and compassion inspires people in a big
way. It makes people feel that they are a part of organization/system, which inturn
develops a sense of ownership for a particular department or work procedure to which the
people belong. It also aids in developing good long lasting relations between the employees
and organization, which is a necessary ingredient for a success of the organization in the
longer run. It also cultivates a positive work attitude among the people. Lastly the way in
which people behave and react to certain situations has a lot to do with how they are
treated. Considering all these factor we can say that managing people with care and
compassion makes a lot of business sense.
2. How does the practice of keeping employees on edge impact business in short and
long run?
In a shorter run, the practice of keeping employees on the edge may be beneficial, but in
longer run it will ultimately prove to be a disaster. Every living being has a self-esteem &
take pride in what they do. When employees are continually kept on the edge they may
think they are unable to perform the job and begin to doubt their own abilities. Once the
employees loose the self-confidence they will not be able to perform certain work related
activities in the most efficient manner. This may ultimately have a overall negative impact
on the business.
3. Is Amazons employer brand as reported by The New York Times Sustainable? Why and
Why Not?
The Employer brand adopted by Amazon as reported by The New York Times is not all
sustainable in long and short run. For any business to sustain and thrive it must necessarily
be able to retain employees, but as most of the employees work at Amazon for at most one
year only. This results in high turnover. Also people enjoy having equal work-life balance,
which is difficult to maintain while working at Amazon. The new recruits will think twice
before joining amazon as it may hamper their future career progress since outsiders tend
attribute certain properties(which are not good) with Ex-Amazons. Since most of the
employees leave within a year, managers may have to keep doing certain work which they
are not supposed, thus making them less efficient.
4. Are Employees thriving under amazons Work place Policies, or are they just barely
surviving?
Employees in true sense are barely surviving at Amazon, they are waiting for some better
opportunity in future. The same point is highlighted by the consultant. Even if someone is
able to thrive in such work environment, they will not be able to sustain for a long time as
they will in future be replaced by some other aggressive candidate.