This week, a Twitter post purporting to show an Amazon-mandated “Positive Affirmation” break went viral.
Posted by user Connor Spence, the image shows a computer screen listing several positive affirmations. On the top, a timer counts down from 30 seconds; on the bottom, clip art shows two Amazon packages being sorted.
“Dystopian is an understatement,” wrote one user in response.
“They also frequently told me ‘Find some time in your day to go outside, and enjoy the sun and nature,’” recalled a second. “They scheduled me from 7 AM to 5 PM. Sun-up to sun-down.”
Even mindfulness author and former Democratic presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson got in on the action, writing, “Genuinely dystopian use of affirmations. And I *write* that kind of stuff!”
Now, another post about Amazon has gone viral, this time on TikTok.
In a video with over 1.5 million views, user @ayjaytee says that his job at an Amazon warehouse encouraged him to participate in a group stretch before work.
@ayjaytee tf am i stretching at work for 🤨 #fypシ #relatable #amazon #viral #blowthisup #blowthisup ♬ original sound – Tik Toker
“I shoulda known i was getting myself into some hard work when i started at amazon,” he wrote in the text overlaying the video. “These mfs got group stretches before our shift.”
“Tf am i stretching at work for,” he added in the caption.
In the comments section, users recounted their alleged experience with the physical labor of working in an Amazon warehouse.
“My feet was so mfin sore. & the breaks were more like 5mins,” claimed a commenter. “I only worked for two days.”
“My shoulder still hurts and I haven’t worked there since 2020,” stated a second.
“I literally had quit on my second day,” a further user added. “You built different if you work there.”
“I’ve never ever ever had a job make my feet hurt so bad,” a fourth explained. “I legit couldn’t stand at the end of my 12hr shift.”
Many others claimed that Amazon warehouses sell pain medication in their vending machines, an idea seemingly backed up by a 2019 article in the New Yorker that describes “employees lin[ing] up at vending machines that dispense free over-the-counter painkillers.”
The aforementioned strenuous labor may be one of the reasons why a study from earlier in the year found that “Amazon warehouse workers in the U.S. suffered serious injuries at twice the rate of rival companies in 2021,” per CNBC.
We’ve reached out to Amazon via email and @ayjaytee via Instagram direct message.
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