Surveillance and suffering
The impact of electronic control on Amazon and Walmart warehouse workers
When productivity matters more than people
Amazon and Walmart are the largest private employers in the U.S. They post record profits while offering us just about anything we want to buy at lightning speeds and low prices. But at what cost?
Both companies are getting rich on the backs of warehouse workers. They employ surveillance systems in the name of making workers safer; however, a new Oxfam report—At Work and Under Watch—has found that these invasive systems are actually more harmful than helpful when it comes to the health, safety, and well-being of warehouse workers.
Constant monitoring has created environments where workers are pressured to keep up with inhuman, unsustainable production standards. As a result, these warehouse floors have become incubators of injury, sustained by automation, surveillance, and workplace cultures of intimidation.
How surveillance is harming Amazon and Walmart warehouse workers
The use of electronic surveillance has created a dystopian working environment where workers feel they don't have time to use the bathroom because of how fast they are pushed to work. At Work and Under Watch, which includes the largest collective survey of both Amazon and Walmart warehouse workers focused specifically on technology and surveillance in the U.S. to date, reveals that surveillance is being employed to hold workers to inhuman standards and enforce unreasonable production demands. Here is a breakdown of Oxfam’s findings in terms of impacts on workers:
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Worker Safety
Physical exhaustion, injuries, and mental health concerns are just some of the risks posed by these high-pressure warehouse environments. Many workers are forced to rely on unpaid time off to cope with negative physical impacts of their jobs.
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Time off Task Policy Enforcement
This metric tracks the time a worker spends not actively sorting, packing, or performing work while on the clock. Workers say this makes it hard for them to make time to use the bathroom, which can contribute to health problems like urinary tract infections and other bladder, bowel, and kidney conditions. This is particularly harmful for older workers, pregnant women, and people with pre-existing medical conditions.
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Psychological Trauma
The isolation of working under constant surveillance has been linked to a slew of mental health concerns like anxiety, depression, and burnout.
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Racial Discrimination
Worker surveillance is a racial equity issue. These systems of surveillance disproportionately affect people of color and mirror historic forms of racial oppression.
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Gender Inequality
Women—especially BIPOC women—consistently reported experiencing more adverse effects across various metrics related to pain, safety, and health outcomes at both Amazon and Walmart facilities.
By the numbers
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More than half
Workers who reported that their production demands make it hard for them to use the bathroom at least some of the time.
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60%
The percentage of Black women who reported feeling that they are “always” or “most of the time” being watched at Amazon.
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Nearly 3/4
The percentage of Amazon and Walmart workers who reported feeling pressure to work faster at least some of the time.
Advocating for safer, more dignified workplace
Pushing megaretailers to improve the well-being of workers who are suffering under constant electronic monitoring.
Read more
U.S. Workers' Rights
For decades, workers in the U.S. have been fighting for their rights, demanding real change, and struggling to stay afloat. Learn more about this area of Oxfam's economic justice and equal rights work.
Read moreFAQ's
Reports
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Research
At Work and Under Watch
Surveillance and suffering at Amazon and Walmart warehouses
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Briefing paper
Inequality, Made in America
How Corporate America is Fueling our Inequality Crisis
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Briefing paper
Business at an Inhuman Scale
How America's biggest retailers are driving its economic inequality crisis
