Amazon has sought to improve the morale of its stressed-out warehouse workers and reduce injuries by setting up so-called “ZenBooths” — interactive kiosks that are billed as “mindful practice rooms,” according to reports.
A warehouse employee at the Seattle-based e-tailing giant founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos leaked a screenshot of a meditation and wellness guide from the company that encourages workers to “close your eyes and think about something that makes you happy.”
The screenshot — which also shows a timer at the top right corner of the screen, saying “Repeat until timer ends” and showing 10 seconds left — was leaked by a worker at one of the company’s fulfillment centers, where pay was recently increased to between $17 and $28 an hour.
Amazon in recent years has come under fire from worker advocates for conditions at warehouses, where some employees have reported that they were forced to urinate in bottles and forgo bathroom breaks because of the breakneck pace and the demands of the job.
“I mean it honestly felt like a slap in the face,” the employee told 404 Media. “It’s the sort of disconnected corporate platitude that is so obviously out of touch with reality.”
The screenshot shows a guide to a practice called “savoring,” which is part of a wellness and meditation regimen that Amazon rolled out in 2021 titled “Working Well,” which was designed to cut down on workplace injuries by improving employees’ state of mind.
The program, also dubbed “AmaZen,” features “physical and mental activities, wellness exercises, and healthy eating support” which are “scientifically proven to help them recharge and reenergize.”
“Working Well” includes a special meditation and mindfulness-based section, which the company said “guides employees through mindfulness practices in individual interactive kiosks at buildings.”
During their shifts, warehouse employees “can visit AmaZen stations and watch short videos featuring easy-to-follow well-being activities, including guided meditations, positive affirmations, calming scenes with sounds, and more.”
Leila Brown, an Amazon worker who helped create the ZenBooth as part of the “WorkingWell” program, said in a video that her goal was to “create a space that’s quiet” where “people could go and focus on their mental and emotional well-being.”
Workers who go into the booth sit down near a computer screen and have the option of choosing several mindfulness-based exercises that include guided meditations and calming sounds.
The booths are equipped with a fan, potted plants and a ceiling painted to look like a blue sky.
But the company deleted a promotional video announcing the rollout of the booths after it elicited scathing reaction on social media, where critics noted that Amazon has been accused of subjecting employees to poor workplace conditions and heavy workloads.
Amazon said employees also will receive hourly prompts at their work stations “guiding them through a series of scientifically proven physical and mental activities to help recharge and reenergize, and ultimately reduce the risk of injury.”
The Post has sought comment from Amazon.
Injury rates at Amazon have typically been higher compared to its peers in the industry, which critics and labor safety experts blame on the company’s fast-paced warehouses that track productivity and allow customers to get their packages quickly.
Last year, a coalition of labor unions released a report that found that Amazon’s injury rate was 70% higher in 2022 compared to non-Amazon warehouses.
The report, which was compiled by the Strategic Organizing Center and examines data Amazon have submitted to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said the company’s injury rate was 6.9% in 2022, compared to 7.9% the year before. In 2020, that number was 6.6%.
Amazon released a report last week saying that its “recordable incident rate” — which it described as any work-related injury that requires more than basic first aid treatment — improved in 2023 by 8% compared to the year before and 30% over the past four years.
The company said its “lost time incident rate” — serious work-related injury that requires someone to take time away from work — improved last year by 16% compared to 2022 and 60% over the past four years.
The employee who leaked the video said the meditation guide was out of place because “the lower and middle classes are seeing our financial situations grow tighter and tighter … while the people at the heads of these corporations continue to build their portfolios and disproportionate wealth.”
“We’re getting bled dry as a people, and then I get a pop up at my menial labor job to ‘close my eyes and think of something happy?’ I’ll think of eating the rich then, thanks,” the employee said.
With Post wires
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