Ever since the working day was a concept, there have been jobs that people have a dislike towards.  Back in the 1600’s, I’m sure that shipbuilders weren’t the biggest fans of the taxing work they had to endure.  In the 1800’s, the factory men who put together the muskets used in war probably weren’t living glamorously.

Today, the equivalent to these jobs is the warehouse workers.  All I can say is that I respect warehouse workers.  Seriously!  Saying that they have difficult jobs would be a severe understatement.  Warehouse workers typically spend 10-12 hours a day performing the same few tasks over and over, and these tasks usually require a whole lot of physical labor.

Despite all of the hard work put in, these workers end up working in below-average conditions.

1.   The Condition of Warehouse Jobs

Last week, journalist and comedian John Oliver spent 20 minutes covering the conditions that warehouse workers go through.  While I highly recommend the piece, you may end up coming out the other side disgusted and horrified.  Disgusted from the conditions that warehouse workers are forced to endure.  Disgusted that corporations can care so little about the people who allow the corporation to exist.

To fully cover the horror that warehouses contain, I’d have to write a book.  Maybe a book!  In this article, I will cover the surface of the horrid conditions that have much deeper ties into the warehouses that they belong to.

To cover the problems with the modern warehouse, we will look at one corporation that has been under constant scrutiny for terrible working conditions.  That’s right, we’re going to use Amazon as our example problem.

Amazon is highly convenient, a good source of savings and is everywhere.  However, Amazon warehouse employees may describe them differently, but before I do, read this statement from Amazon about their attitude towards their employees, in response to an article by Vox about calls to 911 from Amazon workers due to suicidal thoughts:

“The physical and mental well-being of our associates is our top priority, and we are proud of both our efforts and overall success in this area. We provide comprehensive medical care starting on day one so employees have access to the care when they need it most, 24-hour a day free and confidential counseling services, and various leave and medical accommodation options covering both mental and physical health concerns.”

Keep this statement in mind as we uncover the dirty nature of their warehouses and prepare to dirty your IP address with the filth of Amazon’s warehouses.

a.    Excessive Physical Labor

No one applies to a warehouse job expecting a cushy lifestyle; you will work.  Lifting, pushing, pulling, running: all of this is only a few of the activities that Amazon warehouse workers do over and over and over.

Take the story of Connie Milby, a 51-year old Amazon worker who, in 2012, admitted to The Seattle Times that she ends up running 10 miles a day during a typical shift in the warehouse.  All for $12.50 an hour. In the interview, Connie commented that she didn’t know much longer her body could handle the extreme physical toil.

Connie’s case is only one of many.  Warehouse workers are required to push their bodies to the limit, all to fulfill orders for Amazon.  This physical labor hurts the body mentally and physically, and surely Amazon cares.  After all, that’s what they said in their statement.

According to some Amazon workers, the holidays are even worse.  60-hour work weeks are apparently mandatory and injuries are often sustained.

b.   Medical Lies

As of 2016, there have been over 100 federal investigations into how Amazon oversees injury and health in their warehouses by OSHA.  These investigations were brought about by various reports, from Amazon not showing the right amount of care for injuries that take place, to Amazon telling employees to lie to the hospital about how the injuries happened.

According to one worker, Amazon seems to only care about injuries that involve blood, and even then, it’s more so that the product doesn’t get blood on it.  Really nice, Amazon.

2.   Conclusion

Amazon, while being a great source of jobs and productivity in the U.S., needs to improve their work environment.  Your employees being alive shouldn’t be the minimum in your health codes, and lying about how happy your employees are is equivalent to insulting the employees who suffer every day.