BUS101: Analyzing Workplace Stress and Solutions at Amazon

This report examines job stress among Amazon employees, a significant issue leading to high turnover and absenteeism. It identifies factors contributing to this stress, including inadequate wages, high-pressure targets, and a culture of fear. The report analyzes the impact of workplace stress on both employees and the organization, drawing upon literature and the Job Demand-Resources theory. It discusses how high job demands and limited job resources contribute to employee strain and low motivation. The report concludes by recommending strategies to mitigate job stress, improve employee well-being, and foster a healthier work environment within Amazon. This analysis aims to provide insights for enhancing employee satisfaction and organizational performance, with similar resources available on Desklib.

BUSINESS REPORT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Job stress is one of the main issue that employees of Amazon has been suffering while
completing their respective task that lead in high turnover and absentees within the company.
The purpose of the study is to gathered sufficient information related to all job related stress
suffered by individuals and the way they can be overcome. So, the research has helped in finding
that Amazon does not provide appropriate wages to employees, force them to work overcome.
Thereby all this has lead in increasing job stress among the individuals so, it needs to take steps
to improve the same for growth and expansion of business in international market.

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
AIM..................................................................................................................................................5
Research objective .....................................................................................................................5
Research questions .....................................................................................................................5
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................5
Theme 1: Job stress....................................................................................................................5
Theme 2: Factors that are responsible for increasing the job stress on employees.....................6
Theme 3: Impact of workplace stress on employees and organisation.......................................7
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................8
RECOMMEDATION......................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Workplace stress can be stated as harmful physical and emotional response that mainly
occur in case when the capabilities present in the individual does not match with its
requirements. Job stress results in poor health, injury, even mental stress to individual that lead in
losing highly talented employees from the organisation (Vijayan, 2017). Amazon is an American
multinational company that has been started on 1994, 27 years ago by Jeff Bezos to earn profit
margin through offer range of products to millions of customers. Moreover, the company
emphasis on e-commerce, artificial intelligence and cloud computing. It is among the five
biggest firm in US information technology industry such as Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and
Google. The report is presented with a motivate to provide necessary information about what all
challenges or work place stress has been face by employees of Amazon. The situation is that
labour or employees have more pressure of work that has resulted in negatively impacting on
their overall health and well-being.
SYMPTOMS LIKELY PROBLEM(S) DECISION STATEMENT
HIGH-PRESSURE
TARGETS
The likely problem of high
pressure target is that they do
not enough have time to take
break, go to wash room and
other places.
How does the high – pressure
target impact on health and
well- being of the person?
CULTURE OF FEAR In amazon there is culture of
fear as employees each second
is measure that resulted in
creating a feeling of anxiety or
frustrated.
What does meant by culture of
fear in context of Amazon?
LOW OR NO WAGES TO
EMPLOYEES
The outcome of the low or no
wages is that employees are
not provided wages for their
work that cause them
dissatisfaction.
Does Amazon offer
appropriate wages to all
employees or labour of the
organisation?

AIM
To analysis job stress that are face by employees while performing their task in firm that
are operating in retail sector of Australia. A study on Amazon.
Research objective
 To understand the meaning of job stress.
 To identify factors that are responsible for increasing the job stress on employees.
 To critically analysis impact of workplace stress on employees and organisation.
 To suggest key strategies that could be used to eliminate the workplace issue for retaining
maximum individuals within the firm.
Research questions
 What does mean by Job stress?
 What are key workplace stress or issue face by employees?
 What are the positive and negative impact of workplace on company and employee’s
working in the organisation?
 What are the method that can be used by Amazon to reduce or eliminate workplace
issue?
LITERATURE REVIEW
Theme 1: Job stress
From the point of view, Schmidt and et.al., (2019), job stress is one of the significant issue
or problem that is face by many of the employees working in the organisation. It results in
reducing overall performance, turnover and market share of company in external environment.
The author has defined job stress as emotional and physical responses that result because of gap
between the available resources, capabilities with the requirement that are needed to complete a
particular task. Job stress has negative impact on employees as well as organisation in longer run
as companies in order to earn high profit margin comply individuals to work overtime or in poor
condition. Thus, all, this result in loss of sleeping, more tiredness and regular absence or high
turnover of employees in the organisation.
Another author Tsai, Nolasco and Vaughn (2018), has also illustrated that the job stress is
also consider or being confused with the pressure so both the term is not much similar. Pressure

is part and parcel of work as it leads in motivating employees to make optimum utilisation of
their available skills, capabilities for benefits of organisation. On the contrary hand, it can be
stated that excessive or uncontrolled pressure lead in more stress that finally results in negative
impact on health and well –being of individuals that are working in the firm. So, as per the
author stress is response to the pressure and sometimes it is good and vice versa. Such as
pressure motivate an person to devote more efforts and energy to complete the task while
sometimes it lead in increasing stress that negatively impact on health and well- being of the
person. Therefore, companies need to take steps to reduce overall stress level of employees to
enhance overall performance and growth of organisation.
Theme 2: Factors that are responsible for increasing the job stress on employees
As illustrated by Useche and et.al., (2017), there are range of factors that are responsible
for increasing the job stress of the employees such as long working hours, job insecurity and lack
of autonomy. Likewise, Job stress can be to employees because they are force to work for longer
or more working hours in particular day i.,e apart from their 8 hours. Another reason that results
in job stress is job insecurity as many of the employees feel that they are not secure with the job
and any time can be dismissed. Furthermore, lack of autonomy is also reason because people are
more controlled by the top management related to the way they need to work, think and feel
within the company. All these lead in increasing job stress on employees and influence them to
leave the organisation to stay happy and satisfied.
According to Ramlawati and et.al., (2021), there are many other factors that results in
increasing job stress on employees and directly hinder smooth operation of business. Heavy
workload, discrimination, poor relationship with the boss, lack of resources and inappropriate
work culture are different reason or factor that lead in increasing job stress among the
employees. The author has stated that employees by pressuring individuals to work then their
actual capabilities will lead in decreasing their morale and motivation to be part of the firm.
More workload leads in creating a lot of stress in mind of employees thus they are not able to
delivered qualitative services to customers in minimum time frame.
At the same time, another author Vijayan (2017), specified that people also have job stress
when they are being discriminated on the basis of age, gender, caste and religion during the
promotion, providing salary and many more. Lack of support and conflict between the
employees related to the way task need to be completed are also some of the factors that lead in

increasing job stress among the staff member that are working in the firm. Ineffective safety
measure and more pressure to do particular task are also factor that lead in increasing overall
stress level of individuals that are working in the firm.
Theme 3: Impact of workplace stress on employees and organisation
From the view of Basit and Hassan (2017), there are positive impact of workplace stress on
employees is that it acts as influencing individuals to make optimum use of their existing skills
and capabilities so that company can gain competitive advantages. Work stress helps company in
understanding whether the hired individual is capable of completing the task or not. So that
appropriate guidance or strategies can be planned to trained them related to the way task need to
be completed for achievement of company goals. It also helps company in identifying people
that are not able to complete task so that they can be said that they are not enough capable for
company.
On the contrary hand, another author Qazi, Miralam and Bhalla (2017), in argument has
stated that Workplace stress has lot many negative impact on the company as well as employees
that are working in the firm. Such as it leads in devoting employees that they are not capable
enough to complete the task or help company in achieving its goals. Furthermore, it contributes
in increasing overall stress level of individuals as they are forced to work overtime or pressured
to do more task in limited time i.,e beyond their existing capabilities. At the same time, the job
stress result in increasing the feeling of anxiety and depression among the employees thereby
leaving negative impact on their health and well- being. Therefore, it leads in causing health
issue to employees because of lack of sleep, more pressure to complete the task.
Another authors Gupta, Saurabh and Bhaskar (2018), has also supported that job stress also
result in impacting on brand image of company as dissatisfied employees are not ready to
delivered qualitative services to customers that lead in hindrance of company operation. Along
with it, job stress also causes high employment turnover and chance of absenteeism thus there
are not sufficient employees to complete different task of the firm. In short, as per the view of
author it leads in decreasing morale, motivation and ill health and increased employee’s
complaints. Thereby, company should take steps to reduce job stress to make employees as well
as customers of organisation happy and satisfied to maximum extend.

DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Evangelia Demerouti and Arnold Bakker are two researchers that has developed Job
Demand Resources theory in 2006 that put working condition into two categories – job demand
and job resources. Such as job demand refer to physical as well as emotional stress lay on
employees while they are working in the firm such as stressful working environment, poor
relationship, heavy workload. The second element is job resources i.,e social, physical and
organisation factor that contribute in reducing the overall stress face by employees while they are
working (Allan, Rolniak and Bouchard, 2020).
Such as in context of Amazon, the model can be applied to understand the impact of job
stress on employees and company. Low strain and high motivation, this is not applied in the
case of Amazon as employees are forced to do particular task or over pressurised and are given
less motivation to complete the same. Average strain and high motivation, there are some of the
employees in company that are force to some extend to complete the task so that they can work
effectively to achieve the organisational goals. Low strain and average motivation is not present
in the Amazon as each and every individuals working in the company is being forced or
pressured to complete the respective task (Chandra and Chen, 2019). This result in losing
talented employees working in the organisation and hinder growth of firm. High strain and low
motivation is an element that is mainly present in firm or Amazon as employees are force to
work overtime or pressurised to take more responsibilities that lead in making them dissatisfied.
Along with that, there are some employees that are not enough given wages for their daily work
and are stated to go between the half shift.
So, overall from the analysis it can be stated that the Amazon workplace having a fear of
culture in which they are forced to complete the task in specific time frame. Along with that,
ABC news has also stated that labour or employees are continuously enforced to work at
Amazon without much break. Many of the employees feel that they are not enough given time to
go to toilet because of high pressure target that lead in causing negative impact on their mental
health and well-being (Boewe and Schulten, 2017). Furthermore, in the analysis, from
secondary sources, it has also been identified that there are some of employees that are sent early
without being paid for their work. Moreover, the company hire individuals on the basis of casual
and constantly basis only that lead in causing anxiety among them.

RECOMMEDATION
From the above report it can be suggested that there are certain changes that need to be
made by company in order to reduce overall stress of the employees that are working in Amazon.
So that they are ready to enhance their performance and contribute in growth and development of
firm. Such as:
1. Amazon need to recruit more people that are capable of complete the respective task in
the firm so that pressure on existing employees can be reduced to maximum extend.
2. Secondly, it is suggested that company need to pay appropriate wages to all employees,
reduce their overall pressure and ensure healthy and friendly working environment so
that they are ready to make more efforts for growth and development of organisation
(Gupta, Saurabh and Bhaskar, 2018).

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Allan, B. A., Rolniak, J. R. and Bouchard, L., 2020. Underemployment and well-being:
Exploring the dark side of meaningful work. Journal of Career Development, 47(1).
pp.111-125.
Basit, A. and Hassan, Z., 2017. Impact of job stress on employee performance. International
Journal of Accounting and Business Management, 5(2). pp.13-33.
Boewe, J. and Schulten, J., 2017. The long struggle of the Amazon employees. Rosa Luxemburg.
Chandra, P. and Chen, J., 2019, January. Taming the Amazon: the domestication of online
shopping in Bangalore, India. In Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on
Information and Communication Technologies and Development (pp. 1-11).
Gupta, K. P., Saurabh, S. and Bhaskar, P., 2018. Measuring job satisfaction of customer-facing
employees: scale development and validation in the context of organised retail
sector. International Journal of Environment, Workplace and Employment, 4(4). pp.314-
346.
Qazi, S., Miralam, M. S. and Bhalla, P., 2017. Organizational culture and job satisfaction: A
study of organized retail sector. Journal of Business and Retail Management
Research, 12(1).
Ramlawati, R and et.al., 2021. External alternatives, job stress on job satisfaction and employee
turnover intention. Management Science Letters, 11(2). pp.511-518.
Schmidt, B and et.al., 2019. A comparison of job stress models: Associations with employee
well-being, absenteeism, presenteeism, and resulting costs. Journal of occupational and
environmental medicine, 61(7). pp.535-544.
Tsai, L. C. F., Nolasco, C. A. R. and Vaughn, M.S., 2018. Modeling job stress among police
officers: interplay of work environment, counseling support, and family discussion with
co-workers. Police Practice and Research, 19(3), pp.253-269.
Useche, S.A and et.al., 2017. Comparing job stress, burnout, health and traffic crashes of urban
bus and BRT drivers. American Journal of Applied Psychology, 2017, vol. 5, num. 1, p. 25-
32.
Vijayan, M., 2017. Impact of job stress on employees job performance in Aavin,
Coimbatore. Journal of Organisation and Human Behaviour, 6(3). p.21.