Amazon's Mental Health 'AmaZen' Booth Deemed More Dystopian Than Helpful In The Eyes Of Social Media
Amazon is under fire after showing off a phone booth-sized wellness zone for its employees, where they can practice meditation and engage in other mental-health exercises.
The company has been the target of memers and critics recently, as scrutiny on the strict rules they place on employees, infamously causing at least one to pee in a water bottle, has intensified. The company has tried numerous methods to improve its image in the eyes of the public (some more dubious than others), and recently, it introduced a mental health program called WorkingWell for its employees. Part of that initiative was the "AmaZen" box, a small oasis where employees could watch videos about relaxation and look at some plants.
The company proudly tweeted a video about the idea, but it was deleted after it faced too much criticism. Mirrors have been reposted across social media.
While the original video may be gone, the damage had already been done, as jokes and criticisms were once again lobbed Amazon's way for its latest gaffe.
Shout out to @amazon. The AmaZen booth looks so inviting 😍 pic.twitter.com/wkyOZuZYCv
— Joeby Peppers (@L0w_Era) May 28, 2021
I came in the amazen booth
— HE WILL NUT DIVIDE US (@NutDivide) May 27, 2021
Overall, many seemed tired that Amazon went the route of "innovating" a minuscule break room rather than raise employee wages or allow them to unionize.
Or you could pay your employees well, not treat them like garbage, and accept unionization.But sure, a Futurama suicide booth works too.
— Joe Seatter (@70bpmhiccups) May 27, 2021
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El Lugubre
I used to work for a really poor school. Teachers still had a small break room where they could eat in peace, have a coffee and just recharge in between classes. Do these multimillionaire companies not have the money to build a sound proofed room for people to chill in? Even fucking teenage youtubers can soundproof their room on a budget
Griff the Hoplite
What!!?
Mothman
Funny life story. Believe it, don't believe it, it makes no difference to me.
Before I was born my dad knew and was on good terms with Jeff Wilke, who worked with Jeff Bezos at the time when Amazon was still a book company. My dad had experience in leadership positions from his work in chemical engineering, and was offered a job at Amazon. Only catch is he'd have to move across the country and he was already engaged with my mother, who was very outspoken and had developing mental health issues at the time. He ended up rejecting the offer so he wouldn't have to move. And it's not like this is going to become the world's most powerful company or anything, right? (He also sold his Marvel stocks well before the MCU, maybe he's just unlucky)
It's weird to think had that one decision played out differently my father could be a big name in tech… or maybe he would have been fired/quit due to my mother's mental health issues. I could have had all the resources I needed to tackle my own mental health issues and, well, I would have been a rich ass kid.
But seeing shit like this? I'm fucking glad he didn't take that offer. I'd rather be part of a family cursed to make bad financial decisions than the son of some dickbag who invents the next wage cage. Though… I wouldn't complain if I could go back in time and tell him about the MCU, or even a few months back to tell him not to sell GME at a loss. I'm not that naive.
YeetYeetAwoo
If they have the money for bullshit initiatives like this they have the money to install additional bathrooms, but fuck actually improving working conditions i guess.
*Name censored*
Do they not have break rooms???
Aydensnake
Ayo, new wage cage dropped
Bunger, Voiced By Chris Pratt
Amazon will do shit like this but allowing their workers to go to the bathroom is apparently too much.
Mothman
That's what the potted plants are for.
Pokejoseph64
I don’t want ANYONE to take a page out of Heroes in Crisis
Essence of BIRB
How about you stop forcing your employees to piss in bottles, that'd be a more logical step to take first.
Anyone00