Amazon Has Patented Wristbands to Constantly Track The Hands of Warehouse Staff

[JonesBones]

Fuckin can't stand this company. Warren Buffett needs to dissociate from these fucks. They are already turning their workers into robots. What's next? Shocking them?

A warehouse worker reaches for a high shelf, a wristband wrapped around each arm. The company-issued wearables track the location of every product the employee handles while occasionally vibrating to guide their movements.

If such a system were to be implemented, it could further strain the company's relationships with its workers.

"It could impact employee anxiety, morale and overall work culture," said Kate Bischoff, owner of tHRive, an employment law and HR consulting firm.


Amazon warehouse employees have complained of difficult working conditions for years. Issues raised include intense pressure to reach goals and work faster, strictly enforced rules, short breaks, low morale, and physically demanding work for low pay.


Any wearable could collect a lot of personal information about an employee, even unintentionally. They could gather detailed information about a worker's every move — when they go to the restroom, if they slow down at certain times of day, how often they stop and rest.

Since it was incorporated in 1994, Amazon has grown to be a retail behemoth,accounting for almost half of all the goods bought online. Shifting that much stock is a huge undertaking, and one that Amazon is looking to automate as much as possible.

http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/02/technology/amazon-employee-tracker/index.html

 

[AgonyandIrony]

No more fapping on the clock? Lame.

 

[method115]

Vibrating to give them direction is actually pretty cool. Im sure as the warehouse gets bigger it's harder to navigate.

 

[Fawlty]

No more fapping on the clock? Lame.

lol

question is, would you take the wristband off or leave it on? I think I'd leave mine on.

 

[AgonyandIrony]

lol

question is, would you take the wristband off or leave it on? I think I'd leave mine on.

I would just tell them I was working on a really hard project.

 

[uncommon]

idk what to make of this. privacy is important but so is responsibility

they could probably sell the workers work habits to future employers, tyrannizing work for everyone.

 

[Swing]

I would just tell them I was working on a really hard project.

It can be pretty long and hard to fill a particularly big order.

 

[AgonyandIrony]

It can be pretty long and hard to fill a particularly big order.

Honestly I would probably get a raise, getting something done so fast with such efficiency.

 

[Swing]

Honestly I would probably get a raise, getting something done so fast with such efficiency.

It is nice to finish and get what's coming as a reward.

 

[JonesBones]

This is the mentality of the company that wants to overhaul healthcare for workers. lol. They treat their workers so great now I can only imagine what their health plan will look like.

 

[FacePunch]

Meh. Who cares? Amazon is a private company, if these people don't want to work there they don't have to. They could also gather this data with more security cameras. You against that?

Don't steal shit, don't sleep on the job.


What is the big injustice here?

 

[HatchetHarry]

Fuckin can't stand this company. Warren Buffett needs to dissociate from these fucks. They are already turning their workers into robots. What's next? Shocking them?

A warehouse worker reaches for a high shelf, a wristband wrapped around each arm. The company-issued wearables track the location of every product the employee handles while occasionally vibrating to guide their movements.

If such a system were to be implemented, it could further strain the company's relationships with its workers.

"It could impact employee anxiety, morale and overall work culture," said Kate Bischoff, owner of tHRive, an employment law and HR consulting firm.


Amazon warehouse employees have complained of difficult working conditions for years. Issues raised include intense pressure to reach goals and work faster, strictly enforced rules, short breaks, low morale, and physically demanding work for low pay.


Any wearable could collect a lot of personal information about an employee, even unintentionally. They could gather detailed information about a worker's every move — when they go to the restroom, if they slow down at certain times of day, how often they stop and rest.

Since it was incorporated in 1994, Amazon has grown to be a retail behemoth,accounting for almost half of all the goods bought online. Shifting that much stock is a huge undertaking, and one that Amazon is looking to automate as much as possible.

http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/02/technology/amazon-employee-tracker/index.html

People are free to quit if they want to. Don’t hate on Amazon because they make sure their employees do their jobs. If I had those wristbands on I would be doing my job now instead of posting.

 

[HockeyBjj]

I worked programming some new conveyors for an Amazon warehouse. They had a giant wall of shame of all the people they’d fired for stealing stuff

Leaving the place (not entering) you had to walk through a metal detector, have no baggy clothes, all pockets inside out, and shoes off. They were one step away from tsa packdown junk grab

The only goal of this is to track who was where at a time something was stolen

 

[AgonyandIrony]

It is nice to finish and get what's coming as a reward.

It's just a shame some situations can be stickier than others. But when it comes to the task at hand, I always finish the job.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

Time to boycott Amazon.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Amazon already tracks workers production via their badge that is used to check/get into areas. Plus if you work at a warehouse you really only work one of four jobs. They just want very productive workers and the data to back it up.

On a side note, the amazon warehouse 1 mile from me is 1.5 million sq feet.
<{dayum}>

 

[FacePunch]

I worked programming some new conveyors for an Amazon warehouse. They had a giant wall of shame of all the people they’d fired for stealing stuff

Leaving the place (not entering) you had to walk through a metal detector, have no baggy clothes, all pockets inside out, and shoes off. They were one step away from tsa packdown junk grab

The only goal of this is to track who was where at a time something was stolen

Good. Thieves should be executed.

 

[Gregolian]

lol

question is, would you take the wristband off or leave it on? I think I'd leave mine on.

I leave my fucking FitBit on when I do.....

 

[FacePunch]

Time to boycott Amazon.

Dang. I would think that a pretty big decision living in Hawaii. I'm curious as to why you see this as an injustice so big as to make that decision?

 

[Swing]

Meh. Who cares? Amazon is a private company, if these people don't want to work there they don't have to. They could also gather this data with more security cameras. You against that?

Don't steal shit, don't sleep on the job.


What is the big injustice here?

It's in a wierd area for me. I'd probably quit over it, but I'd also understand the necessity. An I get it, but I'm moving on sort of thing.