McClelland, M. (2012, March/April). I was a warehouse wage slave. Mother Jones. Retrieved
from https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/02/mac-mcclelland-free-online-
shipping-warehouses-labor/
A journalist took a job at a warehouse that ships products from online retailers to consumers in order to write a report on her experience. After going through an interview process where she confirms many, many times, she has not been arrested, the author details training. There are rules about no absences and practical guidance for safety, mostly refrain from getting fingers stuck in conveyor belts or tripping on trip hazards. The work itself is grueling, necessitating sprints from one end of an enormous warehouse to another, as quotas for items packaged must be met in order to keep her job. She chronicles the difficulty of getting to the break room and restroom in their given 15-minute break period, as the warehouse can take nearly as long to walk through and lines for the restroom can be lengthy. After several days of this work, the reporters back is in significant pain from the stretching, lifting, bending, and grabbing at all angles, in addition to the 12+ miles a day she walks/runs on concrete in order to fulfill orders. Even though the author is faster and filling more orders than many of her colleagues, her targets are increased to the point where is is only able to fulfill just over 50% of her daily goals, and is written up for including two items in a package that should have included one. Finally, she talks about her assignment in a particular section of the warehouse, books, where she gets shocked on a regular basis because of the makeup of the shelving materials. She lists multiple ways that these work conditions could be improved for workers, like hiring more people, updating warehouses to function for humans, not products, etc. but the costs involved deter companies from making these changes. Workers appear to understand this, but many simply need a paycheck in order to live.
This article recounted an awful reality I had an awareness of but of which I still lacked a solid understanding. It was important for me to build knowledge of the impact of supply chain strategies and how they either align or conflict with a company’s mission, or how they talk about their employees. It affords me the opportunity to better articulate support or concerns, and to be a more mindful consumer.
LO2: demonstrate the ability to assess complex organizational environments and achieve communication goals.
LO5: critically analyze messages.
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