Would you work at Amazon?

[Martinus]

Maybe I'm just awfully European about this, but having no life in the work/life balance looks like a terrible way to go through life. It's possible to work hard but efficiently; have time to pause, consider and self-reflect; and achieve big things without working 18-hour days.

The company I work for has decided that it should no longer be called "Work/Life-Balance", but just "Life Balance" where work is just one of four components next to family&friends, health and lifelong learning. We have guidelines for managers called "Respect limits", "Switch off", "Conciously build in breaks" or "Reconcile work and private life".

Well, I am glad this is at least becoming an option - until recently the expectation was that either you have no life or have a really shitty job (at least in Poland). It seems to me that now employers are consciously trying to create a more complete spectrum of choices.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Maybe I'm just awfully European about this, but having no life in the work/life balance looks like a terrible way to go through life. It's possible to work hard but efficiently; have time to pause, consider and self-reflect; and achieve big things without working 18-hour days.

The company I work for has decided that it should no longer be called "Work/Life-Balance", but just "Life Balance" where work is just one of four components next to family&friends, health and lifelong learning. We have guidelines for managers called "Respect limits", "Switch off", "Conciously build in breaks" or "Reconcile work and private life".

Well, I am glad this is at least becoming an option - until recently the expectation was that either you have no life or have a really shitty job (at least in Poland). It seems to me that now employers are consciously trying to create a more complete spectrum of choices.

Or at least pretend to.  In a way I admire Amazon's honesty.  Look at Disney. Overnight they go from writing awesome performance reviews and discussing promotions to telling the same over achievers they are going to be training their offshored replacements.

[Warspite]

For example, when you work in highly demanding service industry with clients located in all time zones, closing the shop at a given hour is simply not an option no matter how efficient you are.

Sure, but what puts me off is industries where the expectation is to be frantic all the time, without relenting. The work I do can get pretty manic - 18 hour days, reams and reams of material to go through, and everything having to be done yesterday because CRISIS!!11 - but we're never expected to just look busy, being present for the sake of being present, so on and so forth.

One has to wonder what this frantic pace actually achieves. More than once, my girlfriend who is an associate at a magic circle firm has been given an zOMG URGENT TASK on Saturday night that a client absolutely desperately needs for Monday morning, only for her to deliver on time and then have the final result sat on for a week - with the e-mail unread.

I'm not saying there are not fast-paced industries, and I am not saying often the work isn't genuine, but I do wonder whether certain industries or hyper-competitive workplaces breed a culture of haste and mania. One of the most valuable skills I have learnt over the years is divining whether an urgent task is an urgent task or a whim, which so far has saved me a lot of weekends. 

[Zanza]

Maybe I'm just awfully European about this, but having no life in the work/life balance looks like a terrible way to go through life. It's possible to work hard but efficiently; have time to pause, consider and self-reflect; and achieve big things without working 18-hour days.

The company I work for has decided that it should no longer be called "Work/Life-Balance", but just "Life Balance" where work is just one of four components next to family&friends, health and lifelong learning. We have guidelines for managers called "Respect limits", "Switch off", "Conciously build in breaks" or "Reconcile work and private life".

Well, I am glad this is at least becoming an option - until recently the expectation was that either you have no life or have a really shitty job (at least in Poland). It seems to me that now employers are consciously trying to create a more complete spectrum of choices.

If you want to be along the 2% of employees that make up the senior management and above, you'll have to work more and be available etc.
But these rules are meant to protect the other 98% of the workforce. Which covers all the expert white collar jobs, the lowest ranks of managers and even gives the more senior managers less incentive to overwork themselves add it slowly leads to a culture change here.
Next will be allowing more people to work mobile, so you can work at a time and place that is convenient. Our union will make sure this does not mean people work more.

[Martinus]

For example, when you work in highly demanding service industry with clients located in all time zones, closing the shop at a given hour is simply not an option no matter how efficient you are.

Sure, but what puts me off is industries where the expectation is to be frantic all the time, without relenting. The work I do can get pretty manic - 18 hour days, reams and reams of material to go through, and everything having to be done yesterday because CRISIS!!11 - but we're never expected to just look busy, being present for the sake of being present, so on and so forth.

One has to wonder what this frantic pace actually achieves. More than once, my girlfriend who is an associate at a magic circle firm has been given an zOMG URGENT TASK on Saturday night that a client absolutely desperately needs for Monday morning, only for her to deliver on time and then have the final result sat on for a week - with the e-mail unread.

I'm not saying there are not fast-paced industries, and I am not saying often the work isn't genuine, but I do wonder whether certain industries or hyper-competitive workplaces breed a culture of haste and mania. One of the most valuable skills I have learnt over the years is divining whether an urgent task is an urgent task or a whim, which so far has saved me a lot of weekends. 

I think you are right, but also in service industries it is often difficult to have a position where you can ignore an important client's whims - and by the time you get to such a position, you are utterly used to not ignoring it, it is your second nature. The fact that the market for highest value services is very competitive tends to reinforce that.

[Berkut]

Maybe I'm just awfully European about this, but having no life in the work/life balance looks like a terrible way to go through life. It's possible to work hard but efficiently; have time to pause, consider and self-reflect; and achieve big things without working 18-hour days.

I think the key here is that Amazon wants people who are not interested in work-life balance, they want people who are consumed by and passionate about their work alone.

[Valmy]

Color me amazed people can be that passionate about something as pointless as retail delivery. 'Somebody got their Disney doll quicker. My life is complete!'

[Martinus]

Color me amazed people can be that passionate about something as pointless as retail delivery. 'Somebody got their Disney doll quicker. My life is complete!'

There are people who are passionate about curling. Compared to that, Amazon must be a roller coaster of excitement.

[DGuller]

Color me amazed people can be that passionate about something as pointless as retail delivery. 'Somebody got their Disney doll quicker. My life is complete!'

People can be passionate about making things run as efficiently as is in their control.  And it does make the world a better place.  Our 15 trillion dollar economy is based on tens of millions of human cogs in the machine doing the one very small part of theirs to the best of their ability.

[Barrister]

Color me amazed people can be that passionate about something as pointless as retail delivery. 'Somebody got their Disney doll quicker. My life is complete!'

There are people who are passionate about curling. Compared to that, Amazon must be a roller coaster of excitement.

Curling is serious business.

[Valmy]

Color me amazed people can be that passionate about something as pointless as retail delivery. 'Somebody got their Disney doll quicker. My life is complete!'

People can be passionate about making things run as efficiently as is in their control.  And it does make the world a better place.  Our 15 trillion dollar economy is based on tens of millions of human cogs in the machine doing the one very small part of theirs to the best of their ability.

I wonder if the assembly line workers for Henry Ford felt as inspired.

[Warspite]

We laugh, but if for example you apply for a job in any menial sector in the UK now, on the application form you will be asked to demonstrate things like "Your passion for retail customer service".

[The Brain]

Passionate persons eventually herd people into camps. Aloof detachment ftw.

[Habbaku]

Color me amazed people can be that passionate about something as pointless as retail delivery. 'Somebody got their Disney doll quicker. My life is complete!'

People can be passionate about making things run as efficiently as is in their control.  And it does make the world a better place.  Our 15 trillion dollar economy is based on tens of millions of human cogs in the machine doing the one very small part of theirs to the best of their ability.

I wonder if the assembly line workers for Henry Ford felt as inspired.

Probably not to that extreme level, but is it so weird to have pride in your work, even if it's an assembly line?

[The Brain]

General Yamashita had the right idea.