Employees hit back against Amazon's employee retention policy, call it unfair

In 2017,  **Amazon** had introduced Pivot, a program where before being fired, employees would have a chance to appeal the decision and discuss options. Options include a chance to pick up the pace and catch up with their goals, switching their department or simply leaving the company with a severance package. Ostensibly, the purpose of the program is to offer a fair and transparent HR appeals process. However, several employees now claim that Pivot is not working as intended. According to a Bloomberg  report, an employee called Jane (as in Jane Doe, anonymised to protect her identity) has claimed that when concerns were raised regarding her work, she was given three options. She could quit and ask for severance, keep her job and meet her performance goals, or she could plead her case in front of panellists of her choosing, within certain restrictions of course. [caption id=“attachment_4399401” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”]  A view of the new Amazon logistic center with the company’s logo. Image: Reuters[/caption] While this might seem like a fair review process on the surface, employees have reportedly described the panel as a ‘ kangaroo court’. Jane claims that she was allowed to write a draft of her appeal, which would be presented to the panel. She claims, however, that the “career ambassador” who was “helping” her recommended that she cut out important portions of the appeal. These career ambassadors prepare employees regarding the panel. According to Bloomberg’s report, the panellists attend remotely and the lack of a personal touch as well as connection issues make the presentation almost farcical. Jane also claims that the option to keep her job was accompanied by unrealistic goals. Other employees, reportedly claimed that after the panel discussion, even if the goals were adjusted, there was tension with bosses. Amazon has a relatively high turnover rate for employees. For a company that’s as big as Amazon, this costs a lot of money, it’s in their own best interest to fix the problem.