MY EXPERIENCE WORKING IN AMAZON

Amazon, the company is probably one of the highest employers of labour globally and for an outsider, it will look like a delight to work at Amazon. Being a delight or not is relative to individual expectations and experiences but for me, it was a delight. I worked as a level one associate at the warehouse in Dartford. It’s called Amazon LCY3.

Moving into the UK as a ‘dependant’, working in a warehouse is one of the most accessible jobs especially if one doesn’t want to work as a care worker. While in Nigeria, I worked in the agribusiness sector and I don’t know how to proceed with it in the UK. I planned to get some training and seek regular jobs but before then, I needed to earn money. 

I didn’t know what to expect on the first day of work as there was no serious interview. Eventually, we moved into the warehouse and were shown how it is done. It was a 10 hours shift and you are expected to be on your feet all through except for your one-hour break which is split into two. I was posted to a department called “pick to rebin”  where we essentially pack the ordered items into boxes. It looks so simple until you are informed of the rate at which you are supposed to work. 

As a packer, the target is to pack 200 items per hour. On your first day, you will be lucky to do 100 items. Then you realize how much stress your leg and back have gone through. The first thing you would consider changing is your shoe. It’s either you get a very comfortable shoe or you become crippled. The crazy thing is all your supervisors and trainers will keep smiling at you even if you are tending towards being sacked for performance reasons. However I must say unless you are poor at it,  you won’t get fired but your contract won’t be renewed. Most L1 associates get a three months contract while some are lucky to get 7-8 months. 

Whoever has a mind open to being inspired will get inspired in the warehouse. For me, the workings of the robots, the precision of the process, the work ethics, the work environment, and much more constantly inspire me to aspire to greater things. Racial diversity is crazy. Every continent is represented. Jeff Bezos is a great man.

Working as an L1 associate, especially in fulfillment is not meant to be a long-term job for anyone. The physical demand on the body is much and I can say the most efficient associates rely on medication, caffeine to say the least to stay fit and agile. The greatest HR hack in the UK is the weekly wage, especially for low-level unskilled workers. Before you take serious action about quitting the job, your wage will drop into your account. That’s enough motivation to keep you going for another week and before you give up totally, your contract would have expired. Climbing up the ladder is hard especially when you begin as a fulfillment associate but not impossible. I have seen people with good stories. 

Have you seen the girls? I can not stop talking about this, it is not an obsession but a cry for help. We are in an age where sexual images are normal and those that hawk these images are seen as being confident. In the warehouse, they come in different sizes and shapes, and from the look of things, the men are enjoying these cancerous images. It is worth of note to say sexual pressure is higher in the environment on both sides. 

Ishmael is an immigrant from Ghana and a Christian. One day I asked about the church he attends and he said he has only been to church probably once in the last three years. Kenneth, whose wife is a nurse like me, said he cannot combine working with church. The work schedule is crazy but that’s not the problem. The main issue is the thirst to earn more and since it is unskilled labour the only chance at earning more is to invest more time in overtime duties. 

One minute, it feels like a foreign land, and the next minute, it feels like home because numerous people are speaking your language around you. I hope to leave Amazon before the expiration of my contract as I need something more intellectually demanding. I am getting as much training as possible in order to get a decent and less physically demanding job. 

I love Amazon for their tech driven processes. They have a platform that made almost everyone on the leadership team accessible. Booking holidays and other things can be done without directly talking to any manager. I worked there for about 20 months before leaving. I didn’t miss the people as I didn’t interact much, but I surely miss the flexibility that comes with shift patterns and ofcourse their weekly pay.

Thanks for reading.