Amazon Reportedly Rolls Out Warehouse ‘Mini Games’ For Workers In 20 States
Image via Frederic Legrand - COMEO / Shutterstock.com
According to a report by the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post in 2019, Amazon has been testing social mini-games in its warehouses to “gamify” the work process. The experiment began in just one facility in 2017, but The Information now reports that the company is in the midst of a “major expansion” of what it calls the ‘FC Games’ to incentivize employees across 20 states and make day-to-day routines seem less mundane.
The games, which are optional, are designed for pickers and stowers. On top of earning their wages, employees can also play one of six games to obtain a digital currency exchangeable for virtual rewards, such as “virtual narwhals, dinosaurs and other electronic pets,” The Information notes. The program will not be taken into account in performance metrics, according to Amazon.
“Employees have told us they enjoy having the option to join in these workstation games, and we’re excited to be taking their feedback and expanding the program to even more buildings throughout our network,” a spokesperson for Amazon told The Information. “Even with this expansion, the program remains completely optional for employees; they can switch in or out of different games depending on their preference, can play anonymously, or not play at all—the choice is theirs.”
One employee shared with The Information that the games “aren’t particularly good,” but workers are still taking part in them to “make the mind-numbing boredom of a 10-hour shift better.” However, others are opting out because the games could push them to overstrain themselves.
The Washington Post described back in 2019 that games are displayed on small screens to register when tasks are fulfilled, and participating workers are challenged in races to “pick or stow LEGO sets, cellphone cases or dish soap, for instance.”
[via Engadget, The Information and Washington Post, cover image via Frederic Legrand - COMEO / Shutterstock.com]
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