While Amazon is a popular option when shopping online, it is also a major employer in the United States both for work-from-home employees as well as warehouse workers.
However, potential Amazon employees may be curious as to what Amazon’s policy is for firing their workers and how easy it is to be fired. If you’d like to learn more on this topic, keep reading to see what I found out!
Amazon Termination Policy
Amazon’s termination policy coincides with its points system, enabling employees to be fired if they rack up as few as 6 points. Infractions such as taking time off without gaining approval, chronic lateness to shifts, clocking out of work too late or too early, and similar practices can earn employees points and result in termination.
If you’d like to learn more about how many points result in termination at Amazon, Amazon’s cause for firing employees, if Amazon rehires fired employees, and more, keep reading for more useful facts!
Can You Get Rehired After Being Terminated by Amazon?
If an employee was fired from Amazon, they may be allowed to re-apply for a job at the company after a certain period of time has passed.
However, this will depend on what the employee was fired for.
According to current Amazon employees, the period of time allowed for an ex-employee to reapply to Amazon will vary depending on their previous position in the company and which Amazon division they worked in.
For example, one Amazon employee stated that staff members who were fired must wait one full year before they reapply at Amazon, while another employee stated that the minimum time is 90 days.
Therefore, it’s reasonable to conclude that Amazon’s policy for rehiring terminated employees will vary depending on the reason they were let go, the location they worked in, and their position within the company.
How Many Points Result in Termination at Amazon?
Amazon’s method of writing up employees is by use of their point system, which, according to previous Amazon employees, can have a person fired if they earn up to 6 points.
However, while 6 points are the standard for firing Amazon employees, some individual managers of Amazon divisions may be more lenient, as some Amazon staff members have been noted to earn as many as 13 points and still remain at their jobs.
Therefore, Amazon may base the termination of their worker’s jobs on the infraction they were written up for, such as being chronically late to work or taking non-requested time, whereas small infractions may be overlooked even if they earn an employee more points.
What Do Amazon Employees Get Fired For?
Amazon has a set list of very strict rules they require their employees to follow, and continuous disregard of any of these rules can get Amazon employees fired.
The following are examples of fireable offenses for Amazon workers:
- Wearing restricted cosmetics (lipstick, heavy makeup, etc.)
- Bringing gum into work and chewing it during a shift
- Drinking beverages during a shift (water only)
- Improperly packaging orders
- Working at a slow pace
- Showing up to work sick
- Clocking in/ out too late/ early
- Talking too much (warehouse workers)
- Wearing a watch and other expensive jewelry
- Showing up to work late
Potential Amazon employees should note that while some of the above offenses are less serious than others stated, violating these rules will increase the chances of being fired.
Therefore, potential staff are urged to consider these job terms before accepting a job at Amazon to ensure they can meet the necessary job requirements.
Do Terminated Amazon Employees Receive Severance Packages?
When employees are fired from Amazon, they are given the option to leave with a $5,000 severance package.
However, if former staff members accept the severance pay, they are not allowed to apply for a job at Amazon in the future.
Therefore, staff members who were planning on re-applying to Amazon in the future are recommended not to take the severance, as they will be automatically ineligible to work at Amazon in the future.
Otherwise, employees who plan to find work elsewhere are urged to accept the severance pay.
Does Amazon Offer an Alternative to Being Fired?
When an Amazon employee commits a fireable offense, they will not always be terminated instantly.
Rather, their manager will offer them the chance to take the Pivot course, which is a two-month training program to increase and improve an employee’s work ethic.
If staff members choose to take the Pivot course, they will work on probation-like terms until the course has ended and will resume their duties as normal after they pass the course.
Staff members who require a job at Amazon are therefore recommended to endure their course in order to return to work as normal.
However, if staff members are able to seek employment elsewhere, they may be further ahead to accept the severance package.
Does Amazon Hire to Fire Employees?
According to reliable sources, some Amazon managers have been known to hire staff members with the intention of firing them in order to meet their quota for the estimated number of employees they are forecast to lose per year.
Amazon will generally hire employees who are not as well-qualified for their position so that the employee can be fired due to their work performance.
Therefore, if potential staff members are concerned about being hired for this reason, they are encouraged to withdraw an application at Amazon or reach out to their manager and express their concerns.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on Amazon vacation policy, Amazon background check policy, and the Amazon transfer policy.