Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been putting customer satisfaction first for years. However, the company to care as much about its employees, considering the numerous complaints it has been facing. Now, after efforts to form Amazon's first labor union, the world's richest man says it's time for his company to focus on the well-being of not just its customers but also its employees.
Specifically, Bezos stated the following in a letter to the company's shareholders: "I think we need to do a better job for our employees. While the voting results were one-sided and our direct relationship with employees is strong, it is clear to me that we need a better vision to give more value to employees – a vision for their success.
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Bezos will step down as CEO of Amazon later this year and become Executive Chairman. Specifically, he said the following:
“In my upcoming role as Executive Chairman, I will focus on new initiatives. I am an inventor. It is what I love and what I do best. It is where I create the most value. I am excited to work with a great team of passionate people. When it comes to the details, we at Amazon are always flexible, but also persistent in achieving the vision. We have never failed when we think of something, and we will never fail at it.”
Amazon is the world's largest e-commerce and ranks among the most popular brands and trusted institutions. However, it has recently come under intense scrutiny from regulators, unions and activists around the world, with many claiming that the company rose to the top through aggressive business tactics.
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Additionally, referring to employees, Bezos said he wants to add two elements to Amazon's customer-centric credo. "We will become the best employer and the safest place to work on Earth," he stressed.
Warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Stores Union. Of the more than 3,000 votes cast, Amazon received 1,798 against the union, and the union received just 738. The RWDSU has vowed to challenge the results, which were announced last week.
The result followed a seven-week, hard-fought election that drew national attention from longtime critics of Amazon's labor policies and practices, including Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Much of that criticism has focused on long hours and working conditions at the company. Amazon says it has hired hundreds of thousands of people and pays them more than double the federal minimum wage, while also providing health benefits.
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In the letter, Bezos denies allegations that his company has grueling, even brutal, working conditions. Specifically, he said: “If you read some of the news, you might think that we don’t care about our employees. In these reports, our employees are sometimes portrayed as hopeless souls who are treated like robots. That’s not true.”
Jeff Bezos also explained that Amazon doesn't set unreasonable performance goals and that 94% of its employees already say they would recommend working there to a friend. He pointed out that the company sets achievable performance goals that take into account employee tenure and actual performance data.
This year, Amazon plans to invest more than $300 million in safety projects, including $66 million to create technology aimed at avoiding collisions with forklifts and other vehicles.
