kapow

Bookend. A fear submitted by Aidan to Deep Dark Fears - thanks!

You can pick up signed copies of my DDF books in my Etsy store, they make neat gifts!

“Amazon’s system tracks a metric called “time off task,” meaning how much time workers pause or take breaks, The Verge reported. It has been previously reported that some workers feel so pressured that they don’t take bathroom breaks.

If the system determines the employee is failing to meet production targets, it can automatically issue warnings and terminate them without a supervisor’s intervention, although Amazon said that a human supervisor can override the system. The company also said it provides training to those who don’t meet their production goals.

“What’s it have you do all day?” There were something like 50 people working in the supercenter at any given time – it was a 200,000 square foot store.

“Manna has you moving through the store aisle by aisle. I bet I am walking six or eight miles a day right now. I am constantly straightening merchandise on the shelves. Manna knows where I am, and it knows where everything is on the shelves, so it asks me item by item to straighten them. Manna wants everything on the shelves looking perfect. It is also big on restocking. So it will ask me, ‘How many rolls of masking tape are on the shelf?’ Whenever anything gets low, it has me go to the back and bring stuff out to the shelves. It knows what is selling through the cash registers, so it knows exactly when to restock everything and it makes sure that every single item in the store is fully stocked.”

“That doesn’t sound so unusual.” I said.

“It’s not unusual, except that Manna is telling you exactly what to do every second of every day. If it asks you to go to the back and get merchandise, it tells you exactly where to walk to go get it. And here is the weirdest part – I never see another employee the entire day. The way it makes me walk, I never run into anyone else. I can go for a full shift and never see another employee. Even our breaks are staggered. Everyone takes their breaks alone. We all arrive at staggered times. It’s like Manna is trying to totally eliminate human interaction on the job.”

“That’s spooky. Why would it do that?” I asked.

Brian looked down, “I’m guessing that talking with co-workers wastes time, and Manna is eliminating the waste everywhere it can.”

Being aware of our own indicators can give back a little control when our mental health feels all consuming. Preparing for a bad patch can feel like we’re ‘willing’ it to happen, but this isn’t the case. A list of steps to take, general care tips - lists can help when you’re not in the right frame of mind to think clearly.

You’re allowed to have good days, and you’re allowed to share them. They don’t invalidate your struggle <3

I can’t change the past, and I can’t change the future, just trying to be ok with that as I make it through the present.