Amazon has been in a lot of trouble for the treatment of its workers in its fulfillment centres but don’t worry – “Everything is fine”.
A bizarre thread has gone viral that appears to show multiple Amazon workers blindly praising their employer and its somehow more entertaining than anything on Amazon Prime Video right now.
The Twitter thread began when Amazon’s company news account posted a tweet advertising free tours at the company’s fulfillment centres, presumably to dispel rumours about the poor working conditions in the factories. Twitter user Diana Wilde replied to the tweet accusing Amazon of lying and mistreating staff and it all went a bit off the rails from there.
really like? cause your workers are liars? you’re not going to convince the working class that everything is fine by telling us where to avert our eyes, we already know what it’s really like. why don’t you really treat your workers better, you can afford it
— Diana Wilde (@rulesObeyer) August 14, 2019
The first Amazon employee to respond was Amazon FC Ambassador Dylan, a PIT Operator at Amazon’s PHL4 warehouse in Pennsylvania who, according to his bio, enjoys sports, music, food and anything Louisiana.
Everything is fine, I don't think there is anything wrong with the money I make or the way I am treated at work
— Dylan – Amazon FC Ambassador ? (@AmazonFCDylan) August 14, 2019
Yep, nothing wrong there.
Amazon describe its FC Ambassador programme as real Amazon employees working to educate the public about life in the fulfillment centres:
“FC ambassadors are employees who work in our FCs and share facts based on their personal experience. It’s important that we do a good job educating people about the actual environment inside our fulfillment centers, and the FC ambassador program is a big part of that along with the FC tours we provide.”
That all sounds well and good in theory but the overwhelming positivity emanating from the tweets is just well… creepy.
A lot of Twitter users have shared theories that the FC Ambassador accounts are run by bots – and its easy to see why.
Some people have pointed out the disparities with names on the account, after @AmazonFCRafael referred to himself as Michelle and then Sarah.
Nice account, "Michelle." pic.twitter.com/2qDtYl1Cpp
— Ziggy! (@RealEryfan) August 15, 2019
lol yeah – I saw three different names used on another account pic.twitter.com/560SJZixjD
— BaronHaynes (@baronhaynes) August 15, 2019
Others have noticed that the ages in tweets don’t really match up with the icons the accounts are using.
Look how healthy and youthful that 55 year old man is. Amazon is clearly giving him a great stress-free life. pic.twitter.com/ENiEorwkdG
— Matt Gale (@MW_Gale) August 15, 2019
As the thread goes on, the ambassadors seem to take turns tagging in and out of the conversation either because the workers have different shift patterns or because we live in hell and Amazon has created some sort of annoyingly upbeat hive mind.
Unfortunately, its probably the more boring option. It seems as though fulfillment centre Ambassadors take up their station for four to six months before the next employee takes over the account. FC Ambassador Audra explained that workers are paid by the hour whether they are on the factory floor or on social media and that staff split their time between the two locations presumably following a set rota.
We are changed out every 4 to 6 months so different associates can share their experience working at their amazon FC. I hope that helps explain
— Jen – Amazon FC Ambassador ? (@AmazonFCJen) August 15, 2019
I don't get compensated per tweet. I get paid $15/hr whether I am answering tweets or out on the floor stowing. I do this 2 days a week and 2 days a week I stow.
— Audra – Amazon FC Ambassador ? (@AmazonFCAudra) August 14, 2019
Amazon has shown some concern about parody accounts. A representative told Trusted Reviews that:
“Some of the accounts being reported on are spoof accounts; they aren’t a part of the FC Ambassador program. All FC ambassadors are also FC associates”.
You can actually identify which accounts are Amazon-operated and which are hilarious parodies by looking at the info associated with the account. The majority of the real FC Ambassador accounts were activated in August 2018, are associated with Amazon email addresses and tweet using social media account managing tool Sprinklr.
This means that two of the most popular stock photo incidents are, sadly, probably fake.
Now hold on, is it him or his twin brother Tad??? pic.twitter.com/6hspWnG4PY
— Kendra?☠️ (@kendrawcandraw) August 15, 2019
I love smiling!
— twisted brain and messed up mind (@jinpayn) August 15, 2019
Even if the legit Amazon FC Ambassador accounts are run by real Amazon warehouse workers, it doesn’t make their faultless dedication to the online marketplace any less creepy or ingenuine.
Here are a few of the weirdest ones:
Ok, dont be creeped out, I'm just here to remind people that I work at a good job, with good pay & great benefits, & I like it. To get the chance to share it w/ people that think otherwise was like the icing on cake. Don't be alarmed, I'm a warehouse worker, with a great story.
— Brian D. – Amazon FC Ambassador ? (@AmazonFCBrianDJ) July 31, 2019
Back from more than a week of absence at work. Good thing I was able to cover it up using my time bank. (Personal, Sick, and Vacation).
— Rafael – Amazon FC Ambassador ? (@AmazonFCRafael) August 5, 2019
I suffer from depression too, and at one point I wanted to quit Amazon. But I realized it was my fault for the problems I was dealing with, and not Amazon's. I'm allowed to talk to people, but sometimes I don't want to. Now I have some great coworkers to pass the nights with.
— Hannah – Amazon FC Ambassador ? (@AmazonFCHannah) August 15, 2019
Yeah, we’re still concerned about your staff, Amazon.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
