Jeff Bezos has started an open debate over the culture. Strategies to build a great workplace had clearly failed as published on [The New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-in-a-bruising-workplace.html) earlier. As reported, Amazon is the most toxic workplace. What should be Jeff Bezos's strategy to turn the situation around? Would transparency in such a large organization remain a hogwash? Will a hike in compensation be able to revive the situation? What do you think will work?
This is the article sharing Jeff opening a debate with the employees on the work culture. [Jeff Bezos and Amazon Employees Join Debate Over Its Culture](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/18/technology/amazon-bezos-workplace-management-practices.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0)
From India, Mumbai
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1872This is the article sharing Jeff opening a debate with the employees on the work culture. [Jeff Bezos and Amazon Employees Join Debate Over Its Culture](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/18/technology/amazon-bezos-workplace-management-practices.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0)
From India, Mumbai
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Here's a new update on the same story, HR working 100 hours a week to resolve the issue. [Bezos assurance](http://www.theonion.com/article/jeff-bezos-assures-amazon-employees-hr-working-100-51121)
From India, Mumbai
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From India, Mumbai
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My Point of View on Workplace Culture
It's not just limited to Jeff Bezos but applies to all of us. Jeff Bezos has not just a vision but also the passion, and passion may equate to poor work ethics. For example, if I tend to be overtly passionate and stay late at work, I usually benchmark other employees who stay late as 'producers/contributors,' and I apply what I deem 'successful' to other employees. This leads to an untenable situation where people on my team begin to stay late at work, despite not having anything to contribute, just to receive praise, and the smart ones begin to exit and look for roles with saner lifestyles.
And the ones who stay back with me? They begin to contribute to the problem (defined as the Amazon way in Jeff Bezos's case) and ultimately it boils down to me being labeled a 'Jeff Bezos' wannabe.
All I need is to be sensitized to what makes employees productive, and it's high time we begin to realize a happy customer is because of happier employees. (Remember HCL's 'Employee First, Customer Second' initiative).
From India, Mumbai
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It's not just limited to Jeff Bezos but applies to all of us. Jeff Bezos has not just a vision but also the passion, and passion may equate to poor work ethics. For example, if I tend to be overtly passionate and stay late at work, I usually benchmark other employees who stay late as 'producers/contributors,' and I apply what I deem 'successful' to other employees. This leads to an untenable situation where people on my team begin to stay late at work, despite not having anything to contribute, just to receive praise, and the smart ones begin to exit and look for roles with saner lifestyles.
And the ones who stay back with me? They begin to contribute to the problem (defined as the Amazon way in Jeff Bezos's case) and ultimately it boils down to me being labeled a 'Jeff Bezos' wannabe.
All I need is to be sensitized to what makes employees productive, and it's high time we begin to realize a happy customer is because of happier employees. (Remember HCL's 'Employee First, Customer Second' initiative).
From India, Mumbai
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Whether all that was stated in the article is true is a matter for conjecture. Bezos denies it, but knowing the sort of work culture that now exists in the United States, I suspect much of it is true. I don't know about India, other than what I read here on CiteHR - and as many of you have noted from my postings, some of what I read about work culture there frankly horrifies me.
In the western world at least, the world of work has changed a lot. The standard 8-hour day seems to have gone out the window. People are working longer, becoming more stressed, have no holidays, end up in divorce court, and finally in the cardiac unit of the local hospital. Is that what we want for our future?
It seems to me that "bosses" can spend any amount of time out on the golf course or cruising in their yachts, free from the cares of the world, while their employees must keep their mobile phones on at all times of day and night, and woe betide anyone who does not reply to an email or text at 3:30 am in the morning.
If your business needs to run 24/7, then you staff appropriately, with 3 8-hour shifts to cover the day. Staff function much better when they are rested, refreshed, and alert. Such staff will be happy to come to work, will devote their energies to work, be creative when it comes to problem-solving, etc., and above all will contribute greatly to the bottom line.
Of course, there will be workaholics and others who embrace this work style. Maybe they have a bad home life they want to escape from, i.e., the wife and kids, or are lonely, or just have no life full stop. The graveyards are full of those sorts of people.
You have to decide what sort of life you want. I am now retired, thank goodness, but I would never work like that anyway. When I was at work, I worked my standard day, AND I completed all my work within that day. I rarely ever worked a minute past my elected finishing time. However, if necessary, I was willing to stay back if we had an important project to complete, and we were almost there.
The secret, of course, is finding more efficient ways to work. Something that was lost on many of my colleagues who were in the office already when I arrived and were still there when I went home! Another thing was the way many of them fought me tooth and nail when I wanted to introduce new, more efficient procedures. I could never work out why!
From Australia, Melbourne
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In the western world at least, the world of work has changed a lot. The standard 8-hour day seems to have gone out the window. People are working longer, becoming more stressed, have no holidays, end up in divorce court, and finally in the cardiac unit of the local hospital. Is that what we want for our future?
It seems to me that "bosses" can spend any amount of time out on the golf course or cruising in their yachts, free from the cares of the world, while their employees must keep their mobile phones on at all times of day and night, and woe betide anyone who does not reply to an email or text at 3:30 am in the morning.
If your business needs to run 24/7, then you staff appropriately, with 3 8-hour shifts to cover the day. Staff function much better when they are rested, refreshed, and alert. Such staff will be happy to come to work, will devote their energies to work, be creative when it comes to problem-solving, etc., and above all will contribute greatly to the bottom line.
Of course, there will be workaholics and others who embrace this work style. Maybe they have a bad home life they want to escape from, i.e., the wife and kids, or are lonely, or just have no life full stop. The graveyards are full of those sorts of people.
You have to decide what sort of life you want. I am now retired, thank goodness, but I would never work like that anyway. When I was at work, I worked my standard day, AND I completed all my work within that day. I rarely ever worked a minute past my elected finishing time. However, if necessary, I was willing to stay back if we had an important project to complete, and we were almost there.
The secret, of course, is finding more efficient ways to work. Something that was lost on many of my colleagues who were in the office already when I arrived and were still there when I went home! Another thing was the way many of them fought me tooth and nail when I wanted to introduce new, more efficient procedures. I could never work out why!
From Australia, Melbourne
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It is important to know the pulse of your team on a regular basis. Periodical one-on-one meetings and open forum meetings will help to understand the undercurrents and give the management a clue to work towards effective work-life balance.
From India, Hyderabad
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From India, Hyderabad
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I guess the phrase "work-life mix" by Sid/CHR is appearing for the first time somewhere... at least I haven't heard of it as often as the phrase "work-life balance." But it surely sums up the concept of having it and eating it too, i.e., IF one wants to remain sane and healthy in the mid-career stage.
However, looking at the technology we have today—smartphones, WhatsApp, etc. [Thank goodness... they weren't there when I used to work for someone else]—the tendency to be on the run and available is becoming more of an expectation than a convenience.
I recollect days when a boss in the last company I worked for used to look at his watch when I left the office at 6:00/6:30 PM... with a "what-going soon today?" look on his face—and that too when my regular leaving hours were invariably AFTER sunset any day. No wonder I changed my department at the first chance I got. The number of hours worked EVEN TODAY decides whether you work hard or not... not the quality of work.
Your suggestion of mid-day naps or breaks does indeed work out... there are many studies that support the efficacy of this... but how many companies actually practice this? I definitely find it very refreshing and effective for the later day's work.
I recently read about a top-notch Wall Street guy who's into playing the markets... BUT just in his 20s... committing suicide due to the pressure. The irony in his case was that even old-timer market watchers used to give his predictions on Buys/Sells a lot of weight and none knew he was in such a state until his death. Though this could be an extreme example, I don't think many in such situations are really far from this state of affairs. The fact about the health of 20s/30s in most countries says a lot about this aspect.
But I guess, like others have mentioned, any correction has to START FROM THE TOP. Else, it will all be lip service and will be forgotten until some such study/case again comes to the fore. Despite whatever Bezos says, he does have company all over the globe.
Regards,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
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However, looking at the technology we have today—smartphones, WhatsApp, etc. [Thank goodness... they weren't there when I used to work for someone else]—the tendency to be on the run and available is becoming more of an expectation than a convenience.
I recollect days when a boss in the last company I worked for used to look at his watch when I left the office at 6:00/6:30 PM... with a "what-going soon today?" look on his face—and that too when my regular leaving hours were invariably AFTER sunset any day. No wonder I changed my department at the first chance I got. The number of hours worked EVEN TODAY decides whether you work hard or not... not the quality of work.
Your suggestion of mid-day naps or breaks does indeed work out... there are many studies that support the efficacy of this... but how many companies actually practice this? I definitely find it very refreshing and effective for the later day's work.
I recently read about a top-notch Wall Street guy who's into playing the markets... BUT just in his 20s... committing suicide due to the pressure. The irony in his case was that even old-timer market watchers used to give his predictions on Buys/Sells a lot of weight and none knew he was in such a state until his death. Though this could be an extreme example, I don't think many in such situations are really far from this state of affairs. The fact about the health of 20s/30s in most countries says a lot about this aspect.
But I guess, like others have mentioned, any correction has to START FROM THE TOP. Else, it will all be lip service and will be forgotten until some such study/case again comes to the fore. Despite whatever Bezos says, he does have company all over the globe.
Regards,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
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Closely related to the news item about work culture at Amazon, this news article shows a churn, unprecedented in recent times, is now shaking up HR circles across India Inc. Since May, at least 17 HR heads have changed loyalties — with movements happening across companies from old economy to new-age ones.
In my view, it could be due to unrelenting pressure to adapt to rapid changes in the business scenario. This link shows the challenges: India Inc in a fix as HR heads shift loyalties from established companies to new ones - The Economic Times
From India, Pune
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In my view, it could be due to unrelenting pressure to adapt to rapid changes in the business scenario. This link shows the challenges: India Inc in a fix as HR heads shift loyalties from established companies to new ones - The Economic Times
From India, Pune
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Effective employee retention strategies-BPO. doc
Cross Culture Work Force.ppt