Amazon's Human Robots: They Trek 15 Miles A Day Around A Warehouse, Their Every Move Dictated By Computers Checking Their Work.

[interestrateripoff]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2286227/Amazons-human-robots-They-trek-15-miles-day-warehouse-dictated-computers-checking-work-Is-future-British-workplace.html

Between a sooty power station and a brown canal on the edge of a small Midlands town, there is a long blue building that looks like a smear of summer sky on the damp industrial landscape.

Inside, hundreds of people in orange vests are pushing trolleys around a space the size of nine football pitches, glancing at the screens of their hand-held satnav computers for directions on where to walk next and what to pick up when they get there.

They do not dawdle — the devices in their hands are also measuring their productivity. They might each walk between seven and 15 miles today.

Before they can go home at the end of their eight-hour shift, or go to the canteen for their 30-minute break, they must walk through a set of airport-style security scanners to prove they are not stealing anything.

They also walk past a life-sized cardboard image of a cheery blonde woman in an orange vest. ‘This is the best job I have ever had!’ says a speech bubble near her head.

If you could slice the world in half here, you could read the history of this Staffordshire town in the layers. Below the ground are the tunnels of the coal mine that fed the power station and was once the local economy’s beating heart. Above the ground are the trolleys and computers of Amazon, the global online retailer that has taken its place.

I'm guessing none of them are fat?

And they even get a cheery bit of propaganda about them having the best job I've ever had. It must be the manager watching them?

Although I doubt many consistently walk 15 miles a day, that would be some going in 8hr shifts.

And you get constant appraisal to check your doing your job. Sounds a lovely environment to work in.

[Giordano Bruno]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2286227/Amazons-human-robots-They-trek-15-miles-day-warehouse-dictated-computers-checking-work-Is-future-British-workplace.html

I'm guessing none of them are fat?

And they even get a cheery bit of propaganda about them having the best job I've ever had. It must be the manager watching them?

Although I doubt many consistently walk 15 miles a day, that would be some going in 8hr shifts.

And you get constant appraisal to check your doing your job. Sounds a lovely environment to work in.

15 miles in 8 hours is less than 2 miles an hour. That seems reasonable to me. The average walking speed for an adult is about 4 miles an hour, I believe.

[200p]

For gawds sake save for your children's future, and plan your own future, and educate your children the ways of money, work, and control. The golden boomer years are gone forever.

Isn't the Tokyo box apartment, and this thread enough to motivate you?!

Edited March 1, 2013 by Notanewmember2

[Bloo Loo]

could do with this sort of "security" at our airports....behind the scenes

SCanners and security has caught no-one public side.

meanwhile, thefts and losses are taking place airside by the very people meant to protect...If they can take stuff OUT of an airport, they sure as hell can bring stuff IN.

[TheCountOfNowhere]

new motivational sign needed...this is the only job you will ever have.

[goldbug9999]

Not seeing the problem - would they rather be on dole or wiping old people arses for minimum wage or somthing ?.

[Bloo Loo]

not sure what else to expect in a stockpicking job....you get a list, you go to the location, you pick the stock, put it on your trolley, update the list, go to the next location, pick the stock, update the list....eventually you drop off your load at packing...

its a job.

[CrashedOutAndBurned]

I don't know how a factory farm like that is fully staffed - the government keeps telling me the jobless are feckless shirkers? I'm surprised Amazon didn't have to recruit from Bulgaria due to all the lazy brits living it up on welfare up North.

[Jolly Roger]

I'd rather take instructions from a computer and walk around a warehouse than sit in a call centre listening to people vent their anger about gas bills or phone contracts.

I have to ask if this work is any worse than coal mining.

At least they're saving on gym membership.

[lovelyhead]

Right now I would be grateful of a job at Amazon as a human robot.

Some of you guys need to get off your high horses. It's tough at the bottom.

[FreeFall]

15 miles in 8 hours is less than 2 miles an hour. That seems reasonable to me. The average walking speed for an adult is about 4 miles an hour, I believe.

Try walking at an average of 4 miles an hour and you'll realise it's not even close! On a clear path flat surface (like a tarmac road) an average adult will do about 3 miles an hour. Add in corners, unusual terrain, or other distracting activities (like navigation) and it'll drop to 2.5 easily.

I suspect that 15 miles in 8 hours coupled with finding items, picking them up, dropping them off, navigating etc would be pretty torturous...

[CrashedOutAndBurned]

There was a study back in the 70s about a factory floor. There would be frequent downtime while machines were being maintained, or some materials were late turning up, and workers would hang about playing table football. There were various other little 'skiving mechanisms' to make drudgery survivable.

How many office workers (and offices are some of the most mind-numbing horrible places going) fiddle with their phones, surf unrelated material online, skive around the water fountain or coffee machine having a chat with colleagues?

Take the potential for that away and, yes, you are a robot, a slave, stripped of your humanity. I think it says a lot about the kind of cold-blodded brutal mindset we've handed so much power to.

Now there's nothing wrong with menial work - sometimes there's no way to make it rewarding or fun. But large scale enterprises should be co-ops, the workers getting their fair share.

[piece of paper]

I'm surprised that Amazon hasn't the buying clout to insist that suppliers package all goods in a robot-friendly fashion.

These 'jobs' are temporary and will disappear as soon as robots are able to replace them. That won't be long.

p-o-p

[Bloo Loo]

Try walking at an average of 4 miles an hour and you'll realise it's not even close! On a clear path flat surface (like a tarmac road) an average adult will do about 3 miles an hour. Add in corners, unusual terrain, or other distracting activities (like navigation) and it'll drop to 2.5 easily.

I suspect that 15 miles in 8 hours coupled with finding items, picking them up, dropping them off, navigating etc would be pretty torturous...

the article says between 7 and 15 miles a day.

[phead]

Its not the walking, its picking up an xbox every 10 minutes that will do you.

Still the staff don't mind, I don't know about this warehouse but the J13 one never has any problems with staff. The 1st Generation immigrant in Luton love it, you can do a day job and then a night shift at amazon to maximize the money. I've no doubt the new J8 warehouse will be the same when it come fully on line.

[sossij]

Our Humans Are Replacing (Some Of) Us

[@contradevian]

Right now I would be grateful of a job at Amazon as a human robot.

Some of you guys need to get off your high horses. It's tough at the bottom.

Worst would be something like a sandwich production line.

I doubt hanging car doors on Vauxhall Astra's all day, is a ball of fun either.

How on earth do you think things get made, or for that matter distributed.

Back in the 90's during my IT Contracting days, in between proper work, I loaded M&S clothes into a container. I got pretty quick and good at it too. Firstly you had rail the container out, then a constant "step up" to load the rails with a huge handful of ladies dresses,

Boy did I get fit, but only a handful of people could hack it. They would do a few hours then leave.

[RufflesTheGuineaPig]

Try walking at an average of 4 miles an hour and you'll realise it's not even close! On a clear path flat surface (like a tarmac road) an average adult will do about 3 miles an hour. Add in corners, unusual terrain, or other distracting activities (like navigation) and it'll drop to 2.5 easily.

I suspect that 15 miles in 8 hours coupled with finding items, picking them up, dropping them off, navigating etc would be pretty torturous...

Confirmed, my lunch time walk yesterday was 7.15km at 6.4km an hour.... 3.9mph.

I walk fast... VERY fast. My ex gf used to have to jog to keep up.

You wont be doing 4mph in a warehouse on foot... with fork-lifts etc around it simply isn't safe, you need to be looking around you all the time.

If you include picking stock, especially with a trolley, even if you are good, 2mph is the best you'll do.

[RufflesTheGuineaPig]

Worst would be something like a sandwich production line.

I doubt hanging car doors on Vauxhall Astra's all day, is a ball of fun either.

If you are the sort of person easily bored, you don't do those sort of jobs.

Besides, on the car production lines things are set-up to keep the staff mentally stimulated. Each person gets enough jobs to avoid monotony... if something is monotonous people lose focus and make mistake. Not important on sandwiches, but the bloke fitting the brakes to your car needs to be interested.

[aeris]

You can either create wealth and enterprise at a 100% pedal to the metal rate, and have a miserable screwed up unnatural day like these guys. Or you can do it at say 80%, and be happier, more relaxed etc.

Raw capitalism does the former. Capitalism allied to state rules limiting its excesses does the latter.

Net result, ouir wealth is created at a rate of 80% rather than 100%.

So what. Is that the end of the world? So we are all a few years behind what we could be.

These people are human beings, not robots. And they might be you, or your kids.

[TheCountOfNowhere]

Not seeing the problem - would they rather be on dole or wiping old people arses for minimum wage or somthing ?.

they effectively are!

[Britney's Piers]

not sure what else to expect in a stockpicking job....you get a list, you go to the location, you pick the stock, put it on your trolley, update the list, go to the next location, pick the stock, update the list....eventually you drop off your load at packing...

its a job.

The manual work is not so bad, but I think the thing that grates with these jobs is the petty authoritarianism that goes with it, bathroom breaks recorded by the second, body scans in and out, and so on. Oh and be sure to "show enthusiasm" (for what?). It's a nutty world.

[motch]

Try walking at an average of 4 miles an hour and you'll realise it's not even close! On a clear path flat surface (like a tarmac road) an average adult will do about 3 miles an hour. Add in corners, unusual terrain, or other distracting activities (like navigation) and it'll drop to 2.5 easily.

I suspect that 15 miles in 8 hours coupled with finding items, picking them up, dropping them off, navigating etc would be pretty torturous...

definetely, it's not like it's going to be walk 15 minutes pick up a packet, walk 15 minutes drop off a packet. Once stopping checking finding a parcel, whatever is done (anyone here actually work at Amazon) and then onto your next location the average speed would drop off a cliff.

[doomed]

I really do not see what the problem is. How are unskilled workers meant to earn a living? What is wrong with checking how productive the people you are paying are being?

The fact that people have issues with this shows just how good we have had it for so long. Maybe amazon should pay them to sit round all day?

[Bloo Loo]

I really do not see what the problem is. How are unskilled workers meant to earn a living? What is wrong with checking how productive the people you are paying are being?

The fact that people have issues with this shows just how good we have had it for so long. Maybe amazon should pay them to sit round all day?

you need a degree to be an unskilled worker these days.