I read an interesting article last year. It’s about why many people, including those in computer repair and IT service, drop out of the workplace. Then the article gives reasons: horrible traffic, workplace bullying, unsatisfying work, underpay, etc. But here comes tech and retail giant Amazon. Can they save the day? Let’s look at Amazon work from home program: pros and cons.
Amazon plans to hire many people to work from home. Right now, they’re recruiting 5,000 people. But in 18 months, they want over 100,000 in the Amazon work from home program. That’s not all. These jobs also offer benefits, like insurance, help with medical care, even a Career Choice program. According to one Amazon vice-president, this is the perfect opportunity for people to earn a little extra income. I have to agree with that. These are the pros.
But now, let’s look at the cons. This is not a ‘get rich’ opportunity. In fact, the pay will only be $10.00 an hour. In most states, that, little more than minimum wage. Furthermore, these hours seem to be just for nights and weekends. So if someone who is unemployed looks for Amazon to help them get money while looking for work on a weekday, this won’t help them. This is also bad for anybody who doesn’t make enough and is working full-time. They need that night and weekend time to relax and be with family and friends. But this isn’t the only hurdle to cross. These $10 an hour jobs are only available in 26 states.
So if you’re in California and Texas, you need not apply. Because Amazon work from home is not an offer to you. That’s why I call this Amazon opportunity the ultimate con (in this case, that meant bad opportunity). I appreciate the opportunity it provides some people. But they need to fix the kinks in the system. First of all, make it available to all states, or as many as you can. Then, offer it 24/7. If somebody needs to work at home during work hours, make it available. Amazon is a multi-billion dollar company. Surely they can afford to pay out more than $10 an hour to skilled adult workers. A 15-year-old flipping burgers make almost as much. Do you consider the Amazon work from home program a pro or con?