Amazon and Labor Gamification
- A few weeks ago, I wrote a report about Glovolization in LARRUN magazine. There I tried to explain one of Glovo's main intentions: that his employees -- ups, self-employed -- compete continuously. I wanted to draw attention to the mechanisms it uses to achieve this: a game-like application and a business model based on expenditure socialisation and performance privatisation. I also announced that the competitiveness and technological culture that promote these practices will extend over the coming years to various areas of our economy. But, as is often the case with technologies in their early days, it is hard to imagine the long-term consequences of this dynamic. Well, the doubt has been clarified by Amazon.
Amazon turns loading and unloading operations into games. No food delivery, no modern jobs on the Internet. Loading and unloading: I find it hard to imagine jobs that require less specialization and less technology. In various warehouses of EE.UU. and the United Kingdom, the systems installed by the company have given form of play to the transport of boxes from one place to another. Workers can compete with each other, even with colleagues from other plants or warehouses. The winners are often rewarded with a special currency that allows them to buy clothing and other products on Amazon. So the workers work harder than ever before, and in return, they just have to give the things that Amazon buys for pennies. Of course, they do not offer the possibility of raising the salary.
The U.S. media has praised these “games.” They've been given the simplicity and the retro, strange accessories in a boring job. However, they haven't explained how Amazon uses these systems to force workers to work harder and monitor their movements. That is the point. There are no companies that can invest money to make their working environment more sustainable without receiving anything in return. Anyone who has fought for a wage hike is witnessing this.
These “games” are only a tool for better control of workers. Production and profit will increase, and workers will go crazy little by little. Some similar inventions come to mind: the inbox filled with emails, the continuous notifications of Whatsapp, the unlimited package of mobile applications... They also seemed to make our lives easier and more fun. But they can also lose their heads a little bit. Amazon’s “games” will add a new layer of stress and competitiveness to an already toxic work environment. Workers will thus be motivated and without having to pay the salary of a professional supervisor.
The “innovations” of companies based on platforms such as Glovo will be implemented in all aspects of the economy. This case is very significant because, in addition to the most innovative and technological sectors, they are reaching the most boring crafts. These innovations lead us to work harder, faster and cheaper. If our jobs are not destroyed badituzte.Lana is not a game. No one who wants to convince him of the opposite is simply trying to justify the innovative disguise of a traditional relationship. The name of this relationship: extreme economic exploitation.
[1]Due to pressures from the Amazon, many warehouse workers wear diapers instead of going to the bathroom to increase productivity.
[2]They don’t seem to worry. In short, workers are expected to be replaced by robots. Tests have already begun. These robots are able to work five times faster, they don't need a reward, and everyone can work 24 people. Amazon's plan is to exploit the workers until they resign. These jobs will then be covered by robots.
I think Soraluze’s ‘Jaso burua’ initiative is very good, which drives the necessary awareness. Last week, I was at the conference for parents of elementary school children. With the older child in FP, little criticism was heard about the use of screens (and screen... [+]
