A California bill is on its way to help abolish the so-called "Warehouse Algorithm," something which massive companies like Amazon are observing in their workplace for its employees. The workflow algorithm was said to not be reasonable and give people a hard time in doing their jobs which result in termination for not being able to achieve optimal performance.
It was initially reported that Amazon has been using an algorithm to track the performance of contractual and flexible delivery drivers, to know if they are adept to continue working for the company. Somehow, it bases the workflow on unrealistic standards, and it creates a bias over who gets to keep their job or is fired.
California Bill to Abolish Warehouse Algorithm
A California bill that was proposed by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzales has talked about abolishing the warehouse algorithm among workplaces, to avoid any termination and unjust removal from companies. Work discrimination is a problem that is not that often addressed or put into law, and a lot are still suffering because of it.
The bill recognizes that there are certain malpractices that several massive companies impose upon their employees, particularly those which do labor-intensive ones like in the warehouses. Here, people are evaluated based on certain algorithms and if quotas are not met, it could result in termination or severance.
According to NPR.org, a fast-paced workflow that focuses on quota could be dangerous to the life of a said employee in the warehouse, particularly because they need to meet certain numbers. It could lead to mishandling certain equipment or items, which could result in injuries or accidents that are not covered by the company.
Read Also : Google, Amazon, Microsoft Fixing Biased Face Detection Systems, But Experts Say Flaws Still Remain
Amazon Warehouses
One of the targets of the bill is the notorious work conditions that are being reported by Amazon employees in the warehouses. NPR's report said that certain warehouse branches have reported that there were people that were lain off their contract with Amazon, as they have failed to meet the quota which the company imposed.
Moreover, the said warehouse algorithm was highly unrealistic, as it does not give justice to the bulk of the load done by a person, but focuses on numbers only. It does not take into account the size of the material being transported, its weight, and other elements which make the job a hard one to accomplish.
Unfair Work Environment?
Amazon has been filed many lawsuits against its work conditions which were said to be inhumane, and one particular example would be the break times which people would take for only 30 minutes. And while Amazon is not the only perpetrator here, they have been the most recognized one as they have a lot of complaints.
The bill would focus on helping people retain their jobs and abolish the said algorithm for safety and reasonable conditions in the workplace.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Isaiah Richard
