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Pay is great, but it comes at a price

Software Development Manager
Current Employee
Has worked at Amazon for 6 years
July 21, 2023
Seattle, Washington
2.0
Doesn't RecommendNeutral OutlookDoesn't Approve of CEO
Pros

Generous (though somewhat volatile) compensation.

When the stock is not doing well, the pay is just okay. When the stock is doing well, it can be quite lucrative, especially if you hang around long enough to ride the waves.

Cons

There are some great people at Amazon, but there are some toxic people (and teams) as well. Find a good department and team, and Amazon can be great. Find a bad one, and life can be hell. Transfer if you can ASAP.

The biggest problem is the way global policies are announced and carried out without feedback heard from employees. The way the layoffs were handled (with a looming threat for months), and then the way the remote work policy was rolled out then rolled back was truly one of the most abysmal showings in corporate history.

Advice to Management

Be sensitive to the anxiety your policies and communications cause your employees. It is not helpful to give people months of "early warning" of future actions and events unless they are actionable. Don't tell us layoffs are coming months ahead of time -- there is zero we can do with that information except get anxious. Just do the layoffs. Rip off the band-aid. Don't tell us we can work from home permanently, then yank it back and put people through an anxiety-provoking exception process, wondering if our lives will be upended. Use your management chain to communicate and implement instead of blasting everyone and causing a panic.

Additional Ratings

Work/Life Balance
3.0
Culture and Values
2.0
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
3.0
Career Opportunities
4.0
Compensation and Benefits
5.0
Senior Management
1.0

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