Our goal is to be earth’s best employer: How does that fit in with the current reporting of the RTL program “Team Wallraff” on September 9, 2021? Not at all, because the show conveys a highly distorted picture of reality. There are two sides to every story – and each side should get the chance to tell it.

This is exactly what we missed in the program. The picture painted here does not correspond to the experiences of the thousands of Amazon employees and partner companies in Germany who process and deliver customer orders every day. We know we are not perfect. We are constantly working to improve.

But in fact, we employ almost 20,000 permanent staff in our fulfilment network in Germany. About 90 percent of them give their job experience a five-star rating in recent surveys. We have set an entry wage of at least €12 plus extras and offer the Career Choice program which pays for up to 95% of tuition fees to help our employees progress in their chosen careers. After 24 months, Amazon employees earn an average wage of around 2,750 euros gross per month, including restricted stock units and other extras.

It is also a fact that we cooperate with more than 600 German carriers, hundreds of delivery service partners and many other partners who employ thousands of people through our logistics network.

We evaluate feedback on our working conditions and conduct regular audits of our delivery partners – because we attach great importance to fair conditions there, too. In the very rare cases where we become aware of a problem, we take immediate action, which can go as far as terminating the cooperation.

Unfortunately, the TV station did not provide us with details on a number of allegations before broadcasting. Now we have more information about the anecdotes presented in the broadcast we will investigate and take appropriate action as necessary.

At the same time, we are already a top employer: We don’t always get everything right, but we’re proud of our working conditions, the pay and benefits we offer, and the way we invent and invest in technology to further our journey to be the world’s safest and best employer. We encourage everyone to come and see for themselves – the doors to our sites are open for virtual visitor tours: sign up here. It’s always better to talk to the people who work under our conditions: our colleagues.

When it comes to returns, there is only one reason why we send products to return centers located across borders: to extend the lifecycle of the products. Suggesting otherwise is simply wrong. Amazon also complies with its duty of care for the goods we distribute. Every return center specializes in certain product groups and has the specialists, processes, and tools to give as many products as possible a second life. And to say we choose not to donate unsold items to charity is also wrong. We have worked with local food banks across the country and donated 1.5 million unsold products to people in need in 2020 alone.

Responses to individual points of the reporting
  • What are the working conditions for delivery and truck drivers?
    We require all companies in our pan-European (logistics) network (including more than 600 of German carriers) to comply with our policies and all applicable laws and regulations, and we work to audit for compliance even better. This also includes ensuring that these companies pay their drivers properly for the hours they work. At Amazon, we have already introduced an entry-level wage of 12 euros gross per hour plus extras. We also compensate our delivery partners accordingly so that they can pay their employees fair wages.

    We regularly audit our partners. Positive driver experience is a priority, and our teams react immediately when we see that driver experience is compromised, even if the root cause is not in our hands. For example, delivery drivers can contact the Driver Hotline available in various languages to which they can raise their concerns also anonymously. They can also utilize the Amazon Delivery App to provide direct feedback to Amazon via the in-app questionnaire.

    It’s an unfortunate reality that there are noncompliant companies or individuals in the delivery industry, and it can be difficult for any company to catch them all. If we find out that any company fails to comply, we act immediately, up to and including terminating our relationship with the company in question.

    You can find more information (in German) on this topic here and here.
  • How are extra hours paid for drivers who deliver Amazon packages?
    If there is any overtime, our partners are contractually obligated to compensate delivery drivers accordingly. However, routes are planned for maximum 9 hours per day, which includes time to load packages and return bags or any undelivered parcels at the end of the route. We have sophisticated technology that plans delivery routes so that they are safe and achievable. We use a learning algorithm that plans routes to be completed within a specified time, taking into account numerous factors such as package volume, address complexity, traffic situation and appropriate time for breaks. Of course, drivers are free to decide whether they stick to the proposed routes planning. Roughly 90 percent of drivers finish their tour on time or earlier. Further information is available here.

    Further information (in German) is available here.
  • How are the working conditions for Amazons own employees in the fulfillment centers?
    We strive to be Earth’s best and safest employer. That’s why we care about safe workplaces, health and well-being, and strong prospects for the future. We’re always listening to our teams, taking their feedback, and working hard to create a welcoming, safe environment. In a recent internal survey, we find that about 90 percent would give a five-star rating for their job experience.

    Our logistics sites offer a safe working environment and we continue to work hard to make them even safer. We comply with statutory regulations and in some cases set even higher standards. We work closely with health, ergonomics, occupational health and safety experts and scientists, conduct thousands of occupational safety inspections each day in our buildings around the world, and have made hundreds of changes as a result of employee feedback on how we can improve their well-being at work. We offer regular breaks, individual coaching and training and a reasonable pace of work. We have precautions and regulations in place to protect employees from overloading, for example, when lifting packages. In addition, we have taken five practical measures: Workplace rotation, health days, health offers and warm-up exercises. In fact, in a recent internal survey, more than 90 percent of employees said their workload is manageable.

    We also offer industry-leading compensation. For example, we introduced the entry-level wage of 12 euros gross per hour. In addition, employees receive additional benefits as standard, such as bonus payments, restricted stock units, free life and disability insurance, special compensation for overtime, and contributions to the company pension plan or the “Career Choice” program, which covers up to 95 percent of the cost of continuing education. In fall 2022, we will again increase the entry-level wage to at least 12.50 euros. As a reminder, the current minimum wage in Germany is 9.60 euros. You can find more information on this topic here and here.

    You can find more information (in German) on this topic here and here.
  • Is it true that Amazon keeps its employees and external drivers under electronical surveillance?
    No. It is industry standard to use security cameras and scanners – most other logistics companies use very similar devices. We use scanners to be able to inform customers in real time about status of their delivery. Our focus is on supporting our teams and delivering for our customers, not monitoring employees. We’re always working to help improve the experience for drivers, and the Amazon Delivery App was designed to make delivery experience for both customer and driver as easy as possible. The app enables us to notify a customer when parcel is out for delivery or when it has been delivered. For drivers it provides the necessary support to make deliveries happen and navigation to the next delivery stop, as well as support - drivers can contact on-the-road support via the Amazon Delivery app or give us feedback. It also helps ensure that drivers don’t exceed the length of their route, informing them when returning to the station so that the statutory maximum driving time is not exceeded.

    Security cameras keep our people and our operations safe. Some cameras also monitor conveyor technology. Permanent workstations are not filmed or are technically blacked out. The corresponding pictures are only accessible to authorized personnel, such as technicians or security personnel. Supervisors of employees do not have access to this camera footage. We have installed appropriate signage in our buildings to educate our employees regarding security cameras. All systems used and our data retention policies are in compliance with the regulations and laws in Germany and the EU.

    Some of our delivery service partners also use the so-called Mentor app. It is used as an additional tool to enhance the road safety of their fleet. The third party app collects data related to harsh acceleration, braking and cornering, as well as device distraction and speeding instances throughout the day. The data is processed in compliance with applicable law, with the sole purpose to support drivers in maintaining safe driving styles and keep drivers and communities safe. Delivery Service Partners receive data reporting in a de-identified form (no driver names) and may get access to individual data for coaching purposes only in case of severe events. Amazon only has access to anonymized and aggregated data used to support our partners to monitor and improve their fleet safety standards. In fact, since the roll out of the Mentor app earlier this year, there has been a fall in the incidence of harsh acceleration and braking, and a fall in the incidence of speeding of more than 63 per cent. More information on this topic can be found here and here.

    More information (in German) on this topic can be found here and here.
  • Why are there no collective labor agreements?
    We respect our employees’ right to join, form, or not to join a union or other lawful organization of their own selection, without fear of reprisal, intimidation, or harassment. We have a well-established cooperation with the works councils in our fulfillment centers, elected by all associates, representing all – unlike the union, who represents a minority only.

    Amazon shows every day that it is possible to be a good employer without a collective agreement and pay at the upper end of what is usual in comparable jobs. For example, we introduced the entry-level wage of 12 euros gross per hour, which has been a reality for most Amazon employees in Germany since July. After 24 months, they earn an average of around 2,750 euros gross per month, including restricted stock units (from Amazon.com, Inc.) and other extras. We maintain a direct exchange with our employees and do not need to go through an external party. You can find more information on this topic here.

    You can find more information (in German) on this topic here and here.
  • How does Amazon handle returns?
    Amazon’s goal is to ensure that customers are completely satisfied with the products they buy. But returns do happen when customers can’t use a purchased item or change their mind. Our priority is to re-sell, donate or recycle these items as new or used goods – in that order of priority. Only as a very last resort will we send products for energy recovery. For us, as for other retailers, this is the least attractive option – environmentally and economically.

    There is only one reason why we send products to return centers located across borders: to extend the lifecycle of the products. Suggesting otherwise is simply wrong. Amazon also complies with its duty of care for the goods we distribute. Every return center specializes in certain product groups and has the specialists, processes, and tools to give as many products as possible a second life. And to say we choose not to donate unsold items to charity is also wrong. We have worked with local food banks across the country and donated 1.5 million unsold products to people in need in 2020 alone.

    We have a number of programs to give our own products a second life – from Amazon Warehouse for used or repaired goods, to remnant retailers, to in-kind donations to local food banks or the Innatura donation agency. Many small and medium size businesses store their items in our fulfilment network to benefit from Amazon’s logistics expertise. We just made it easier for these businesses to resell customer-returned items or overstock inventory while also giving more products a second life by extending our bulk Resale, Grade and Resell programs to all third-party companies using Amazon’s logistics. The introduction of these programs and our fee structure ensure that the disposal of products is the least economically attractive option for selling partners, just like it is for the sale of Amazon-owned products.

    Donations are yet another important way to give products a second life. Since 2013, the non-profit organization innatura has also been a close partner of Amazon and passes on donations in kind to charitable organizations. In fact, more than 500,000 individuals from over a thousand German charities have received Amazon product donations through innatura alone. We stand ready to also extend our in-kind donations program to selling partners, but it needs the Federal Government to unlock the potential. Despite the success of the donation program for Amazon-owned products, we are still unable to offer it to selling partners in Germany. German tax law requires companies to pay VAT on the cost of donated goods. For small and medium-sized businesses, like our selling partners, it’s not always feasible to bear this additional cost. In other countries where donations are exempt from VAT -like the UK, France, and the U.S.-, Amazon introduced a service called FBA Donations for third party sellers. Since launch, Amazon has helped sellers donate over 70 million items, such as household and school supplies to recipients via our charity partners. With a new Federal Government in the horizon, we hope that the hurdle will finally fall also in Germany: for our selling partners, for people in need, and for the environment.

    More information (in German) on this topic can be found here and here.