It is important to have a job that you love – and Amazon employees are found all over the world.
When you work for Amazon, you get to say that you work for a global corporation that everyone knows about.
You can be involved in warehousing, customer service, product acquisition, and more.
There are countless pros as well as quite a few cons to working for Amazon.
The more you learn, the more you can decide with confidence whether you want to work for them.
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Pros of Working for Amazon
Working for Amazon can provide you with regular hours and consistent employment.
There are all sorts of pros, which is why so many people choose to work for the company.
1. Great Pay
Amazon has been known to pay above and beyond minimum wage.
Some warehouses may start you off at $15 an hour, even if you have no experience.
This allows you to get a great-paying job while learning all sorts of new skills.
There are both hourly and salaried positions within the company, too.
2. Advancement Opportunities
Some of the most common positions are in the warehouse, which allows you to grow into various supervisory positions.
There are also corporate opportunities – and the company likes to promote from within.
If you have a college degree or a lot of experience in a particular field, you may be able to advance into their HR offices, IT, advertising, engineering, and much more.
Amazon offers a number of great benefits to ensure your quality of life stays high.
You will have access to medical and dental insurance.
You will earn sick leave as well as vacation days.
Additionally, you get help with your retirement with a 401k account.
All of this is above and beyond your amazing pay, which can help you to feel as though you’re a valued, important member of the team.
4. Lots of Locations
Amazon locations are all over the place – in the US and in other countries.
The company is also rapidly expanding, so there are new locations being added all the time.
Plus, with so many locations, you will not usually have to worry about a time-consuming commute to work every day.
The company is a popular place to work for military families because as you are relocated, you can almost always find a warehouse or corporate HQ to work for.
5. Positive Work Culture
Many employees rave about how much they love going to work for Amazon.
The company appreciates them, and there are various added perks of working for the company – paid meals, parties, promotions, and more.
It makes it a happy, enjoyable work environment so that you will look forward to walking through the door each day.
6. Steady Work Schedules
Once you have gone through all of your training, you will likely have a steady work schedule.
It makes it easy for you to achieve a desirable work-life balance.
You can make appointments and plan around the days and times that you work.
There is also a lot of flexibility within your schedule, especially if you work for the warehouse.
You can choose to work days or nights – they operate 24/7 to keep everything moving.
7. Confidence in the Company is Solid
Amazon is not going anywhere.
People rely on Amazon for a plethora of items that are sent to their homes quickly.
When you get a job with Amazon, you can enjoy peace of mind that the company is not going anywhere.
In fact, the company is constantly adding new and different services to ensure that they continue to be around for many years to come.
8. Easy to Get Hired
Many Amazon warehouses have hundreds of positions, and they are almost always hiring.
This allows you to go into any Amazon location and apply.
Even if you do not have experience, they will provide training so that you learn what to do.
As you grow in your education, you can apply for many other positions.
HR professionals recommend that you always keep your LinkedIn updated so that Amazon knows what you have to offer.
9. Minimal Customer Interactions
Amazon may be a store, but they operate differently.
Most people will only interact with Amazon through a website or mobile app.
This means that you do not have to deal with the traditional customer service requirements of a normal store or boutique.
You will not have customers complaining to you, which can help to offer you a lot of peace and tranquility when you work every day.
10. You Will Make Friends
With Amazon hiring so many people (there are 1.1 million people employed by Amazon in the US alone), you are bound to make friends.
You will be working with certain people every single day.
As you work and take breaks, you will form a bond.
Some people have said that they have met their best friends by working at Amazon.
Cons of Working for Amazon
While Amazon is a big company, it is not perfect.
You will want to know all of the cons before you accept a job so that there are no surprises.
1. Big Box Mentality
There is the big-box mentality, which means that the company believes that they are better than so many of the smaller companies.
They offer more, therefore, they must be able to meet everyone’s needs.
Meanwhile, you will meet people who will accuse you of putting small businesses out of business and damaging the entrepreneurial spirit in the US.
2. High Turnover
There is a high turnover rate at Amazon for a number of reasons.
First, some people decide that they do not like working in the warehouse, so they quit.
Second, many people complain that it is very easy to get fired from Amazon – some supervisors expect perfection out of the people under them.
When there is high turnover, you will always wonder if you are next.
Additionally, you will find yourself constantly training new people, which can become tedious and stressful.
3. Heavy Lifting is Commonplace
Some of the lifting you may have to do is heavy.
Often, employees are asked to lift 50 pounds or more.
While you will be given safety belts to wear, the work can still be strenuous.
After the end of a day in the warehouse, you may find that you have walked 10 miles or more.
You will spend a lot of time on your feet, and you may have aching muscles.
It can take a toll on your body after a while.
4. Work is Repetitive
Many of the positions in Amazon are repetitive.
If you work in customer service, you will sit at a computer for hours on end.
If you work in the warehouse, your days will be spent picking and packing.
The work can become mundane, causing you to grow weary of going to work every day – and promotions to change things up may not be readily available.
5. Work Environment is Boring
If you work in one of the warehouses, the environment can be boring.
You will stare at the same shelves for hours on end.
You will be around the same people each and every day.
Some employees have also complained that the warehouse positions do not allow you to wear headphones.
It means that you will go for hours without hearing any music – just the clanging of metal and the dropping of cardboard boxes.
6. Overtime is Sometimes Mandatory
Particularly around the holidays, Amazon becomes extremely busy.
They have more orders to fulfill, and they require their employees to be readily available.
In some instances, you may be told that overtime is mandatory.
This means you could end up working 10 to 20 hours more.
You may even be asked to pull shifts in positions where you are not as familiar or be sent on delivery routes.
7. Promotions Do Not Come with Large Pay Increases
Amazon positions are based on tiers.
As you move from one tier to the next, you may not get a large pay increase.
Some employees have complained that moving up two or three tiers may result in only a $1 wage increase per hour.
Combined with the responsibilities that you will have to take on for the new role, it may not be worth it.
You will have to figure out whether the supervisory role will be worth it to you for your long-term career goals.
8. Interactions are Limited
If you are an extrovert, you may find that you are limited by the people that you encounter on a daily basis.
Depending on your job position, you may only interact with a hand full of employees.
If you enjoy socializing and meeting new people on a regular basis, your position at Amazon may become mundane and, in time, frustrating.
Pros and Cons of Working for Amazon – Summary Table
| Pros of Working for Amazon | Cons of Working for Amazon |
|---|---|
| 1. Great Pay | 1. Big Box Mentality |
| 2. Advancement Opportunities | 2. High Turnover |
| 3. Premium Benefits | 3. Heavy Lifting is Commonplace |
| 4. Lots of Locations | 4. Work is Repetitive |
| 5. Positive Work Culture | 5. Work Environment is Boring |
| 6. Steady Work Schedules | 6. Overtime is Sometimes Mandatory |
| 7. Confidence in the Company is Solid | 7. Promotions Do Not Come with Large Pay Increases |
| 8. Easy to Get Hired | 8. Interactions are Limited |
| 9. Minimal Customer Interactions | |
| 10. You Will Make Friends |
Should You Work for Amazon?
Working for Amazon can be a great opportunity, even if you do not have any prior work experience.
Before you get started, it is important to know what your job will entail – and whether you can advance.
As you ask questions, you can decide if you are willing to accept the cons alongside the pros.
Only after learning about the job should you decide once and for all whether you should work for Amazon or not.
