Current Events > Okay working at Amazon as a Process Guide is starting to get to me...

(+) Yeah! (+)

It's only been a month since i've had this role. I'm basically supervising people now. It's demoralizing as fuck. Last night i was in charge of sections B and C.

People are responsible for certain aisles and i'm in charge of moving people around to help if people start to fall behind.

Meanwhile i've got this guy Jimmy on one side, and this girl Karen on the other side. They've been on top of their shit all night. Aisles clear, and they even took it upon themselves to find more work to do in other areas when their aisles are pretty much clear. Solid workers but the work starts to come faster and some people start to fall behind.

Other areas needed attention, so of course i have to send these associates to those areas to help out those people who are falling behind. Sometimes it's just rough, and they just can't keep up, and i get that. Sometimes it's just lazy ass fucking people not wanting to do their job at a decent rate, and of course i have to send Jimmy and Karen over there to clear out those areas. When they come back to their areas, it's gotten a bit stacked up, but because they're such outstanding fast workers they clear it fast.

Here comes management to my cluster and they say that they need me to send one person to cluster A and another to Cluster E. I look around my area, and guess who's got clear aisles and could head over to help? Yep, Karen and Jimmy. Eventually they come back and start clearing their areas again, but they're burnt the fuck out, and we still got 4 hours left in the shift. I had to send them to other areas a few more times and i felt fucking awful about it.

A month ago i was in their shoes, getting my work done quick, always helping where i'm needed. PGs would ask me to go help other areas and i'd be smile and say sure, while inside i'm just thinking "fucking shit, just got my area clear." And i see them now, doing the same thing for me and i just feel fucking awful about it.

Now, i'm pretty universally well-liked around the warehouse, this isn't meant to be a brag, but i've recently acquired a charming personality, positive attitude, got a good sense of humor and people know that i'm a hard worker. People have been telling me that I'm a good PG, they never see me sitting/standing around idly by, and i'm always helping where i can. I'm afraid people are going to start to hate me for this shit, and i know it shouldn't bother me, and that these people are getting paid to do their job, but they're not getting paid extra to handle other people's shit, which i'm forcing them to do. I'm always sure to thank them for their work, as i look at how exhausted they are. It breaks my heart a little. Maybe i'm just too nice, not cut out to see people as just numbers on a spreadsheet.
---

Distribution centers. Fun. Good pay for unskilled labor at least. Just need to hustle.
---

Yeah it's a lot more chill at a Delivery Station than a Fulfillment Center
---

Unless Karen and Jimmy are paid better than the employees they're constantly bailing out, they are going to be the first out the door the second a better offer appears or the warehouse unionizes.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Unless Karen and Jimmy are paid better than the employees they're constantly bailing out, they are going to be the first out the door the second a better offer appears or the warehouse unionizes.

Yep

Sounds like crap, man. I feel for you.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Unless Karen and Jimmy are paid better than the employees they're constantly bailing out, they are going to be the first out the door the second a better offer appears or the warehouse unionizes.

You say that like corporate gives a damn about them or ever will. Workers are treated like lemons: some lemons are juicier than others, but once all their juice has been squeezed out, they're tossed in the compost bin same as all the others.

ElatedVenusaur posted...

Sounds like crap, man. I feel for you.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Unless Karen and Jimmy are paid better than the employees they're constantly bailing out, they are going to be the first out the door the second a better offer appears or the warehouse unionizes.

You say that like corporate gives a damn about them or ever will. Workers are treated like lemons: some lemons are juicier than others, but once all their juice has been squeezed out, they're tossed in the compost bin same as all the others.

Thus, Karen and Jimmy should have no loyalty either, or at least only so long as the compensation is worthwhile.

Who gives a fuck about Karen and Jimmy? People like them are completely replaceable. They don't give a fuck that you're feeling bad for them. All 3 of you should quit your whining and do your jobs.

They never whine to my face. I guess i'm the only one whining. Meh.
---

JustMyOpinion posted...

Just shut the fuck up and do your job.

Way to be a corporate shill
---

Karen is going to get a job in HR and fuck everyone over. She has the namesake.
---

One of my managers backed into a basic associate's car in the parking lot, poor girl had to climb out the passenger side because her door wouldn't open.

I never saw that girl again. I joked that the she got a job with corporate after the incident lol.
---

Have you tried to see if you can get them a pay increase and/or some extra vacation time? Seems those 2 employees are great and probably they deserve it
---

Lol i have no way to grant them those kind of things.

I don't even get a pay increase for being a process guide.
---

Karen and Jimmy work harder than the rest
tell that to management
---

LookANinja posted...

Lol i have no way to grant them those kind of things.

I don't even get a pay increase for being a process guide.

it might be worth it if there's advancement to more pay on the next promotion otherwise just better off staying at the bottom until you can't take it no more.
---

kingdrake2 posted...

LookANinja posted...

Lol i have no way to grant them those kind of things.

I don't even get a pay increase for being a process guide.

it might be worth it if there's advancement to more pay on the next promotion otherwise just better off staying at the bottom until you can't take it no more.

That is the plan. Two PGs just got promoted to higher pay positions.

I can tell management they work hard, but unless they're applying for another position, they really don't do anything except give them some more leniency if they fuck up.

When i applied for PG, i had a bunch of PGs say that i deserve it and should get it, and even a freshly promoted manager said he would put in a good word for me if he could.

There's just not a lot of people wanting to advance to a "higher" position. Most people just want to be shifted sideways to Quality or Problem solve, which involves less manual labor.
---

I bet Karen is giving it to jimmy on the reg, probably clearing tcs station too... she sounds frisky
---

LookANinja posted...

Now, i'm pretty universally well-liked around the warehouse, this isn't meant to be a brag, but i've recently acquired a charming personality, positive attitude, got a good sense of humor and people know that i'm a hard worker. People have been telling me that I'm a good PG, they never see me sitting/standing around idly by, and i'm always helping where i can. I'm afraid people are going to start to hate me for this shit, and i know it shouldn't bother me, and that these people are getting paid to do their job, but they're not getting paid extra to handle other people's shit, which i'm forcing them to do. I'm always sure to thank them for their work, as i look at how exhausted they are. It breaks my heart a little. Maybe i'm just too nice, not cut out to see people as just numbers on a spreadsheet.

I mean this sounds like an easy thing to resolve, maybe just tell them to take it slower and you'll tell them when to work harder when you need them to in order to spare them the extra load of work. Otherwise they'll be constantly getting fucked over and sent to pick up people's shit. You have the ability to see this coming ahead, if you know that other aisles need help that aren't even under your watch, just tell them to take it easy for a bit until it clears out. Done. Then they don't get as burned out, appreciate the fact that you're looking out for them, and you still look good in boss' eyes while the others don't have their ducks in a row. Or hell, let them know, you know other aisles need help, you can either work harder and do it if you REALLY want to, or not, I don't give a fuck you're doing good here and that's all you need to do.
---

I mean that could maybe work. The other areas that need help are unlikely to clear up on their own and management can see if my "at station" is lower than other clusters, which means they'll take my people anyway. The associates also need to hit a certain rate of speed, which has recently increased. And i'd also potentially be screwing over the other PGs by telling my people to slow down. AND everything in the aisles needs to be scanned down at the end of the night, which could lead to me and the other PGs staying later.

Idk, its just hard. My hands are kinda tied.
---

LookANinja posted...

Idk, its just hard. My hands are kinda tied.

If they're as good as you claim them to be I'm sure you can find a way to work around that fact. Imagine if you had someone who knew what you went through before and tried to help you out. It makes a big difference. Or you can become that bitter boss that knows how hard you worked so you expect everyone to be at the same level of misery you were and working just as hard. It can work either way. You seem to have a conscious and a good work ethic, so try to use it to make other people's lives better if you think they're hard workers.
---

Sigh. I know you're right. I will try to think of ideas to help them. They are just a few examples, maybe 1/8 of my people at one time work are along the same lines. I can only help so many.
---

At last, i got converted from Seasonal to Permanent.
---