Amazon Is Testing a 30-Hour, 75% Salary Workweek (washingtonpost.com)

Amazon is planning a pilot program in which a select group of workers will need to work for 30 hours a week, instead of the usual 40 to 70 hours, and make 75 percent of the salary + benefits (alternate source). From the report:Currently, the pilot program will be small, consisting of a few dozen people. These teams will work on tech products within the human resources division of the company, working Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with additional flex hours. Their salaries will be lower than 40-hour workers, but they will have the option to transition to full-time if they choose. Team members will be hired from inside and outside the company. As of now, Amazon does not have plans to alter the 40-hour workweek on a companywide level, the spokesman said.

Comments

Re:Not until the laws are changed

[bill_mcgonigle]

Any employee taking this option is a fool. They would be voluntarily giving up the (sometimes meager) benefits of being defined as a full time employee under US law. Great for Amazon, terrible for the employee.

Under 32 hours and the law would say no benefits are required. Amazon is actually giving them a straight ratio of benefits instead of dropping them to part-time. It's the opposite of a dickish move, as far as the law is concerned (and Amazon is showing that the law need not dictate when businesses are competing for employees).

There are probably many parents who will jump at this kind of opportunity (plus others who want to start a business, do more volunteering, or just have more leisure time).

Re:productivity

[tohoward]

That's about right, based on this article (and related study). Work hours for peak cognition was 22-27 for women, and 25-30 for men, after that, working hours have a negative impact on cognitive functioning.

Three-day workweek is the most productive for employees, study says

Re:Well this is an interesting spin....

[dgatwood]

No, it doesn't. 30 hours per week is considered full time for ACA purposes. It is, in fact, the bottom threshold below which you don't have to, so if they hired someone to work 29 hours, you'd be right.