Amazon is a company that has grown rapidly through the years and is now one of the major employers in the United States in different departments. Amazon employees can work either full-time or part-time.The minimum working hours with Amazon is 40 hours per week for full time and 20-29 hours per week for part-time workers. At some points, there has been some criticism about Amazon’s overall working conditions. Controversial to Amazon’s old overtime policy, in March 2016 precisely, Amazon revealed a new overtime policy whereby it will pay all their employees for working over 40 hours weekly. This policy applies to only all employees either part-time or full-time workers. The only exception is workers that receive a fixed salary, they do not get extra pay for overtime work. All full-time workers are called on at least once a week to work overtime. Let us see “Amazon Mandatory Overtime Policy”
Twenty hours is the highest overtime working hours per week, making a total of sixty hours per week for employees is Amazon Mandatory Overtime Policy who work the whole overtime hours.
Amazon Pays For Working Overtime
Employees on fixed salaries do not get paid for working overtime. However, with the new policy of fixed salary employees has to earn less than $50,440 a year before they are eligible for overtime pay. This requirement is raised from the previous requirement when they had to be earning less than $47,476 a year before being qualified for overtime pay.
Hourly workers earn one and a half times more than their hourly wage whenever they work overtime. In other terms, if an employee gets $15 per hour, then they get paid 20 dollars for each hour they work overtime. This policy includes weekends and holiday hours worked overtime.
Another feature that made this new policy exciting is that apart from overtime pay, they are also given paid time off including sick days, vacation days, and personal days. Their paid time off starts counting from the time they are given employment.
The Employees The New Mandatory Overtime Policy Applies To
All employees are required to work between ten to twenty hours of overtime a month. However, this policy still varies per department. Amazon fresh drivers have the chance to choose their working schedule. Warehouse employees are required to work eight to ten hours each day.
Missing Out On Overtime Schedule Penalty
The schedule for overtime work is usually received by the employees ahead of time. Sometimes, the schedule for overtime is relayed to the employees at the dime minute. It can even be just right before the start of the next shift hour.
The company needs to meet the work demands already scheduled and if an employee backs out, then that means the company is at loss. Employees that miss their overtime hours will face certain penalties such as missing out on personal time and vacation time to meet the work demands already scheduled and if an employee backs out, then that means the company is at loss. Employees that miss their overtime hours will face certain penalties such as missing out on personal time and vacation time that they already have.
There might be a justifiable reason why the employee is not able to work overtime as scheduled. However, they still have to pay the penalty for not meeting the schedule but some supervisors are lenient that is if your plans/reasons have already been made known earlier.
Exceptions To Mandatory Overtime Hours
Exceptions to mandatory overtime hours are quite rare. Only students that work full-time are the only ones that are exempted from working overtime because they have to attend classes.
Nursing parents are not even exempted, therefore if a parent is attempting to take a job, the fact that there are mandatory overtime hours before taking jobs.
The Effect Of Prime Day On The Mandatory Overtime Policy
Amazon celebrates the prime day to mark the celebration of the company’s anniversary. Prime members enjoy special benefits on this day and this makes the coming days to the d-day very busy for the company. There are usually up to 60% more orders worldwide.
Therefore, the company needs extra hands. Employees work extra one or two hours daily a week before the prime day. They all receive one and a half times their normal wages for working extra hours.
Conclusion
The new mandatory overtime policy has received both negative and positive sentiments from the public. It is a benefit for some workers to earn additional wages that can be used to meet their needs.
Individuals interested in taking up jobs with Amazon must know that they have to work additional hours, especially during special periods when the company has events and needs all the extra hands it can get.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does It Allow Voluntary Overtime Work?
Amazon has a VET (voluntary extra time) policy that allows employees to work voluntarily overtime and can get paid for it.
Can You Work Seven Days in a Row at Amazon?
The United States law allows employees to work seven hours in a row if their work requires that. The only condition is that one out of every seven days in a month should be used to rest.
