ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR IN AMAZON 1

Organizational Behavior Theory in Amazon’s Reduced Workweek

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Organizational Behavior Theory in Amazon’s Reduced Workweek

Weller, C. (2016). Here's Why Amazon's New 30 Hour Workweek is such a Great

Idea. Independent. Retrieved 27 October 2020, from

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/here-s-why-amazon-s-new-30-hour-

workweek-such-great-idea-a7228716.html.

In September 2016, the world’s largest retailer Amazon announced that it was

starting a pilot program for a new 30-hour workweek. The revolutionary move would

see a select number of employees clock in thirty hours each week, as opposed to the

ordinary 40 hour week practiced in almost all corporate organizations in the United

States. Employees selected for the pilot would be called upon to clock in at 10 in the

morning and clock out at 2 in the afternoon Monday through to Thursday. The

company indicated that it hoped that the move would boost employee morale and lead

to higher productivity and lower turnover rates. Although analysts raised concern that

the move might be detrimental to both the employees and the organization as a whole,

the consensus is that the move has more advantages than disadvantages. The

advantages are that the move will allow employees the ability to achieve better work-

life balance and that it will also translate to employment for more people.

The move by Amazon to implement a 30-hour workweek aligns with theories of

organizational behavior learned in class. Organizational behavior is the study of how

individuals behave in organizational settings. There are three levels of organizational

behavior depending on the entity that is being analyzed. The first level is the micro-

level and it concerns itself with an analysis of how individuals behave within the

organization. The second level is the meso-level and its concerned with the behavior

of different groups with the organization. The third level is the macro-level and it

concerns itself with an analysis of the behavior of the organization as a whole. With
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that in mind, an analysis of the move by Amazon to implement a 30-hour workweek

would touch on all the three levels of organizational behavior as studied in the course.

On the micro-level, a 30-hour workweek would have major impacts on the job

satisfaction and general well-being of individual employees within the organization.

Individual employees will be impacted by the ensuing flexibility within their

workweek and the long weekends that they will be granted. A part of the deal is that

employees taking the 30-hour workweek would also have to agrees to a 25% cut off

their salary. Individuals will, therefore, have to determine whether the decreased

working hours would be worth a pay cut, depending on their individual financial

situations. Furthermore, employee morale is bound to increase as they will have fewer

hours to concentrate on their work. Thus, employees will be keen to fulfill their daily

obligations within the reduced working hours and meet their daily and weekly targets.

The move is bound to change the behavior of employees as they will waste less time

and might become more productive in the workplace.

On the meso-level, the reduced working hours at Amazon is bound to affect

different groups within the organization differently. Departments and other groups

within the organization will be keen to achieve group goals within the reduced

working hours. Members of the groups and units will interact differently as those who

might be seen to be slacking will be encouraged to perform better or quit the team.

Teamwork will be enhanced and improved by the new reduced working hours as the

groups and units will be working to justify the new measure by Amazon. There may

also be resentment between full-time employees and part-time employees as the

reduced workweek is only viable for the former. Part-time employees may therefore

feel left out from the benefits of the reduced workweek and may perform worse once
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it is implemented. Thus, the reduced workweek will affect performance and

interactions within and among groups in Amazon.

Finally, on the macro-level, the reduced workweek is a great public relations

maneuver by Amazon. The company portrays itself in good light as it is seen to be

caring for its employees by the general public. By allowing employees more free time

and demanding less working hours from them, employees and their families will feel

immense gratitude to the employer. Therefore, employee and customer loyalty for the

company is bound to increase exponentially, leading to less turnover and higher sales

for the company. Furthermore, the company will be seen to be taking measures to

increase employment rates in the country at a time when unemployment is a major

issue. Once the reduced workweek is fully adopted, the company will have to recruit

more employees to fill the hours that will now be removed from their current

employees’ schedules. The company will therefore offer employment to a larger

workforce, and position itself as a friendly corporation with the interests of the people

and the societies within which it operates, rather than one that is solely concerned

with profit-making. Thus, the reduced workweek will have a major positive impact on

the brand image and public perception of the Amazon brand.