Amazon accused of sacking warehouse workers based on automated HR systems

Amazon sacked more than 300 full-time employees at just one of its 75 North American warehouses in just one year

Amazon uses an automated employee-tracking system at its fulfilment centres that not only automatically evaluates worker productivity, but also terminates the employment of staff who fail to meet certain standards - without consulting a human supervisor.

That ' s according to a report published in The Verge, which cited a letter by an Amazon attorney as part of a case with the US National Labour Relations Board.

According to The Verge, Amazon ' s employee-tracking system uses a metric dubbed 'time-off task' to determine how long workers take to do tasks, such as tracking orders, packing and sorting packages, and so on. If the system finds that workers ' productivity is not up to a certain standard, it issues automated warnings and can also fire them from the job.

Amazon fired more than 300 full-time employees at its Baltimore facility during the period from August 2017 through September 2018 for productivity reasons - a figure representing about 10 per cent of the overall workforce at the facility.

Amazon currently has more than 75 fulfilment centres in North America, where more than 125,000 full-time employees work. Assuming the same termination rate as exhibited at Baltimore facility, thousands of full-time employees at the company lose their jobs each year for failing to meet a certain standard of productivity.

Over the past several years, Amazon has come under fire for issues related to treatment of workers at its warehouses and fulfilment centres. Earlier this year, a large number of Amazon ' s workers complained about harsh working conditions at the company.

Similarly, several drivers delivering packages for Amazon have complained about feeling intense pressure to deliver packages to customers on time.

Some workers at Baltimore facility told The Verge that they even avoid bathroom breaks to keep their time in agreement with productivity expectations.

Amazon, in response, highlighted several benefits that workers get by working for the company. The company claimed that it offers competitive hourly pay rates and parental leave to employees.

An Amazon spokesperson told The Verge that no worker is terminated from the company without a meeting with a supervisor first.

The company added that while workers ' supervision is primarily automated, managers have the privilege to supersede the system, if necessary. Amazon also stressed that it supports underperforming workers with dedicated training to help them.

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