Amazon has been the subject of scrutiny for many years when it comes to how its workers are treated. Low pay, minimal benefits, and difficult work hours are usually the issues brought up.
Among these issues, Amazon has a mandatory overtime policy for its workers, which many find disagreeable. But what’s involved in this policy? If you’d like to find out, keep reading this article to see what I learned!
Amazon’s Mandatory Overtime Policy
Full-time Amazon employees are required to be on-call for at least one overtime shift per week. Amazon also pays non-salary employees time and a half when they work overtime, while salaried employees don’t qualify for extra pay. Additionally, employees cannot work beyond 20 hours of overtime per week but must be available to work within those hours.
Continue reading through this article if you’d like to learn more about who is required to work overtime at Amazon, how they’re compensated, exceptions to overtime, and more!
Is Every Amazon Employee Required to Work Overtime?
According to current and previous Amazon employees, only full-time staff members are required to work overtime hours, as part-time employees are generally not required to work beyond their scheduled shifts.
This overtime rule may vary depending on the Amazon department employees work in. For example, Amazon Fresh drivers are given flexible hours and are allowed to choose their own schedules.
However, Amazon employees in the warehouse generally have to work about 8-10 hours a day and then 10-20 hours of overtime on top of their regularly scheduled hours.
Are Amazon Employees Paid Time and a Half for Overtime?
Amazon employees who are paid per hour are given time and a half when they work overtime, as well as on occasions such as Prime Day and national holidays.
For example, employees who make $15 per hour will have a wage increase while they work overtime and holiday hours.
However, Amazon employees paid by salary do not qualify for overtime pay.
This may also apply to holiday hours, though there may be different policies depending on the labor laws of the employee’s region.
What if an Amazon Employee Misses Scheduled Overtime?
Amazon puts a number of restrictions on their employees if they miss their scheduled overtime.
For example, if an employee is absent, Amazon will remove their UPT, vacation, and personal time.
Missed overtime may be problematic for many employees, as Amazon is known for scheduling overtime hours at the last minute, even as late as the evening before an employee’s shift.
Therefore, if an employee’s time is already accounted for and they have no choice but to miss their overtime (out of town, scheduled appointments, etc.), this may result in strict repercussions.
Additionally, individual Amazon managers and supervisors may be more lenient with missed over time depending on the circumstances, such as if the missed overtime could not be helped.
Nevertheless, individuals considering working at Amazon full-time should always plan for last-minute overtime to avoid conflicts and repercussions.
Are There Exceptions for Not Working Overtime at Amazon?
Amazon is not terribly lenient will full-time workers when scheduling overtime.
However, they will generally make an exception for workers who are also full-time students.
Unfortunately, Amazon is not known for making overtime exceptions for parental obligations, such as picking up their children from school or being at home while the other parent is working.
Therefore, parents considering a job at Amazon should be aware of the likelihood of having to work overtime regularly.
How Many Hours of Overtime Do Amazon Employees Work?
While overtime is mandatory at Amazon, employees are not allowed to work beyond 60 hours a week.
According to reliable sources, the most common overtime hours are an extra 10 per week.
Additionally, part-time employees can sign up for overtime hours through the Amazon employee app.
However, if they try to schedule more than 60 hours a week, the request will not go through.
Do Amazon Employees Have to Work Overtime on Prime Day?
According to a current Amazon employee, the days leading up to Prime Day and Prime Day itself are usually mandatory overtime days for most employees.
Full-time employees will be required to work a minimum of 55 hours during the week for Prime Day, adding an extra 1 or 2 hours to their regular daily shift.
However, employees working these mandatory hours are required to receive time and a half pay, allotting them a significant wage increase during those scheduled days!
If you are an Amazon employee, you can also see our related posts on Amazon’s transfer policy, Amazon break policy, and the Amazon bereavement policy.
Conclusion
Overtime hours are mandatory for full-time Amazon workers and optional for part-time employees.
Amazon does not allow workers to go beyond 60 hours of work per week, usually scheduling 10-20 hours of overtime on a weekly basis.
Overtime hours are compensated with time and half pay for hourly workers. However, salary employees do not qualify for a wage increase for overtime.
