Amazon’s company culture: Who’s in control?

The recent New York Times exposé of the “bruising” company culture at Amazon leaves a bad taste in your mouth. It’s startling – since Amazon is such a household name, it feels a little personal, like finding out that the grandma who always delivers socks and books on your birthday is running a crime ring. As a Standford undergrad interested in tech and startup culture, I was very interested to hear the kind of expectations they place on their employees. Someone I know will probably work there, soon, and I really don’t want my friends to be chewed up by the corporate machine.
Of course, the article was immediately countered by a dozen rebuttals, loyal Amazon employees saying that the claims are absolutely untrue (or at least untrue now, in that employee’s department, under their manager). But every one of those defenses shows that there was, indeed, an undercurrent of truth in the NYT article. People clearly do work very, very hard at Amazon. A common refrain that I saw in the responses was that people worked extra hours, on nights and weekends, expressly against the recommendations of their superiors. Like, “my managers were always telling me to take a vacation! And that’s clear evidence that the culture isn’t vicious in the least!”

My immediate reaction: culture isn’t the sole property of the management. Just because a company has adjusted their policies to promote a more generous work-life balance
does not mean that they have eliminated competition from the atmosphere, or changed
the high expectations each employee has for their peers. And if I were hiring for
Amazon, knowing the company’s reputation and standards, I would look for employees
that would put in the extra hours no matter what.

I’m going into my second year at Stanford, and every day, I see my peers that will grow
into ‘Amazonians’ work long hours at a breathless pace. Stanford has the most
competitive admissions in the country, and we’re steeped in the breakneck startup ideal;
the admissions counselors place high value on creating a well-rounded, diverse class,
but everyone is deeply passionate and competitive in their own way. While we’re known
for our “chill” atmosphere, we had to work hard to get there, and most of us would
continue to challenge ourselves even without motivation from parents or professors.
Because we like it, and it’s interesting, and we wanted that sort of college experience.

There’s a certain cachet to saying you work 85 hours a week, and there are plenty of
those students. (“I’m so stressed and only got two hours of sleep and no one works as
hard as me!”) But I’ve noticed that the opposite is more common. Plenty of people work
like mad but never, ever let it show, and that’s almost more dangerous. (“I’m getting
straight As in seven classes and I’m the president of five clubs and of COURSE I get 10
hours of sleep and have time to relax!”) And these are kids in college, where our
professors and advisors don’t really know how we spend our hours.

So I think a working environment can be made stressful or dangerous from the top, but
also from within. Employees that want to push themselves will continue to push
themselves. That doesn’t mean, however, that the push is always good – sometimes we
need a reminder to take an hour. Competition and tough-love motivation can be totally
healthy and efficient and productive. Or it can be cruel, over-the-top, destructive, and
totally impractical and unsustainable. Obviously.

Does hearing this story about Amazon alarm me? Of course. But it’s also kind of
thrilling. Coming from a fast-paced college environment, that push-you-to-your-limits
culture sounds frighteningly exciting. It would be a test to work there – would I make it?
If humans were totally rational about avoiding risk, we would never have put a man on
the moon, and no one would work for a company like the NYT portrayal of Amazon. But
we aren’t, we did, and people do, so clearly we crave a little crazy.

I believe that employers have a responsibility to make sure their employees don’t crash
and burn. On the other hand, competition and high expectations can be exciting,
dynamic, and good for personal development. The job of a company is to create culture
that allows employees to be pushed, but also provides support: enough support to
recognize an over-pushed employee, and enough leeway so that employee can
improve instead of spiraling out into frantic catastrophe. Zealous employees are the
backbone of fast-paced organizations. But, seriously, make them take a day off once in
a while.

Hannah Thompson is an intern at The Good Jobs in Milwaukee.