US online retail titan Amazon, which has been accused of fostering a cutthroat workplace atmosphere, will try out teams that log 30-hour work weeks, the Washington Post reported on Friday. The employees will receive the same benefits as those putting in 40-hour weeks, but get three-quarters of the pay, according to the Post, which is owned by Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos.
Many people at Amazon already work part-time, but the program would be novel in that entire teams including managers would be scheduled for 30 hours weekly on the job, the Seattle-based company said in an informational session invitation posted online at eventbrite.com. "This initiative was created with Amazon's diverse workforce in mind and the realization that the traditional full-time schedule may not be a one-size-fits-all model," Amazon said in the post.
"We want to create a work environment that is tailored to a reduced schedule and still fosters success and career growth." The Eventbrite post, first spotted by the Washington Post, was available online Friday. It was titled "Reinventing the Work-Life Ratio for Tech Talent." Amazon declined an AFP request for comment. A source with knowledge of the matter told AFP that the program was not intended for the entire company, but would involve just a handful of very small teams involved with designing some technical systems. The New York Times caused controversy last year with a story depicting almost Darwinian conditions at Amazon, with white collar workers competing to survive and sometimes weeping at their desks or going without sleep for days.