Not Happy at Work – Amazon’s Working Environment

Turns out some of the people at Amazon.com are unhappy at work. If you read the NY Times article about the Amazon.com workplace it does not sound like a place I would like to work – bosses are demanding, employees are driven to tears, no patience for taking time for cancer patients to get treatments, caring for aging parents, staying home with sick child, or accommodating new mothers. The article says however that some people find it thrilling and that the environment brings out their best.

Large businesses where lots of people want to work often take advantage of their employees. I’ve worked in a situation like that and for me it was very unpleasant. I am much more a collaborative rather than competitive person. I found that kind of environment stifling. We are all different. Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon) says if he worked in the environment  described he would quit. I think even in the company I worked for the top executives did not know what was happening in the middle and bottom layers of the business but they liked the results. It seemed to me that they decided it was better for them to stay ignorant.

What do you do if you work for that sort of company or if you are planning to? The first step is to know and manage yourself well. Then I’d say keep your options open, your network active and be prepared to leave if you are mistreated in a way that impedes your ability to feel good about yourself and your work. I’d be happy to help you or anyone who is unhappy at work to take the steps necessary to be happy at work.