Obviously, Amazon made this decision as a business and not a charity, so it stands to reason that this benefits the business more than employees.
However... as a full time employee who has his two shares of AMZN, I honestly would rather have had the extra income over the last two years. Maybe I could have put a significant dent into my student loans, or could have actually afforded my own place. As it was, too much of the extra "income" provided by benefits required gambles that low income people really should be required to depend on to make ends meet. Productivity bonuses aren't guaranteed, overtime isn't guaranteed, remaining employed for two years isn't guaranteed.
I see it as the ceiling having come down a bit, but the floor also having come up. And let's be honest... the second it becomes feasible to fully automate picking, stowing and counting, those employees are getting fired on the spot. There is no long term career prospect for the vast majority of Amazon warehouse workers, and they should consider the value of stability of income in the face of an uncertain future.
However... as a full time employee who has his two shares of AMZN, I honestly would rather have had the extra income over the last two years. Maybe I could have put a significant dent into my student loans, or could have actually afforded my own place. As it was, too much of the extra "income" provided by benefits required gambles that low income people really should be required to depend on to make ends meet. Productivity bonuses aren't guaranteed, overtime isn't guaranteed, remaining employed for two years isn't guaranteed.
I see it as the ceiling having come down a bit, but the floor also having come up. And let's be honest... the second it becomes feasible to fully automate picking, stowing and counting, those employees are getting fired on the spot. There is no long term career prospect for the vast majority of Amazon warehouse workers, and they should consider the value of stability of income in the face of an uncertain future.