Amazon HR exec weighs in on hiring, DEI and unionization in Arizona warehouses
Amazon has dozens of warehouse operations across Arizona, but the e-commerce giant still grapples with challenges in the Valley as it navigates one of the most competitive places in the country for warehouse workers.
Amazon has 20 fulfillment and sortation centers and 12 delivery stations in Arizona which employ more than 36,000 people. The company is Arizona’s third-largest employer, and within the last year it has opened three new warehouses in Glendale, Buckeye and Goodyear.
Combined, those three new West Valley warehouses need to have 1,500 employees to operate at full capacity. But they are also located in a sea of warehouse operations that also need employees and, in an environment where workers move quickly from one warehouse to another when better hours, more pay and better benefits are available.
So how does Amazon compete? The Business Journal sat down with J. Ofori Agboka, Amazon’s vice president of people experiences and technology, during a recent visit he had in Phoenix where he spoke at the I4CP: Next Practices Now conference. Beyond benefits the Business Journal asked Agboka about the company’s stance on diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practices and efforts to unionize warehouses.
The following conversation was edited for clarity and brevity.
Amazon is in the final year of its Upskilling 2025 initiative, which is an $1.2 billion investment in upskill training for current employees. Do you have a favorite aspect of this six-year-long program? We believe wherever we go, we want to have great pay, we want to have benefits from day one with health care, vision and dental – the same benefits of health care that I enjoy as a vice president. We want to invest in [employees] and provide opportunities with career choice. If you don’t have a high school diploma, we’ll help you get a high school diploma. If you want to improve your English, we’ll help you improve your English. … There is a Mechatronics and Robotics Apprenticeship that is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor that is an upskilling program to get people certified and trained and get the proper credentials to work on robots, to work with AI technology, to maintain robots, to troubleshoot, to help us just explore and make those robots even better. … People walk away with new careers and new jobs. People have seen as high as 40% increase in wages based on those skill sets.
Amazon’s warehouses have more than just human employees working inside them. What’s the balance of using machines alongside human workers? Our robots are working hand-in-hand with our people to make the work experience better, safer, more efficient and more ergonomically friendly. Now as an employee, I can be in more thought-provoking, thought-engaging job activities, tasks and objectives. The robots take away things that are monotonous and get employees into more engaging activities.
In Phoenix’s West Valley, there are so many warehouses looking for employees. How do you make Amazon stand out for potential employees? We want to make it a fun place to work and make sure people understand all the benefits, and make sure they understand what they’re part of. You may work at a building, but we want people to be proud of working for Amazon. Amazon’s doing a lot of great things and we’re part of many industries and you can be a part of that success. … I can’t speak for what other companies do, but [Amazon offers] prepaid college tuition – registration, books, fees, – and if you choose to opt out, there’s not a repayment requirement. We put a lot out there. We have employee recognition events. We celebrate different affinity groups and do different things for each month, and we want to grow and learn together.
You mentioned the celebrating different groups at Amazon warehouses, but recently the company omitted a section, which was included in previous years, in its annual report that looked at the company’s “inclusion and diversity” in hiring. How important is DEI when it comes to hiring at Amazon? We do not lower standards or bars of hiring … and we don’t change the standards for any particular demographic group of people. People who have earned their way through merit to be a part of our team, we celebrate them. As people join, we celebrate their uniquenesses, their differences and their cultures that make us all successful. Our employees represent our customers. We believe that does help us in our quest to be successful and be Earth’s best, safest employer.
There has been talks and calls for Amazon warehouse employees to unionize. At the same time, company has pushed back on the need for unions and has frequently increased benefit packages. How do you feel the current offerings from Amazon compete with what unions are arguing for? What unions are claiming to offer, our employees already enjoying – great wages, a safe, inclusive work environment, career advancement opportunities, health care and benefits from day one. … Our employees have had the right to choose [to unionize]. We favor that direct relationship because we believe – and we know and [have] proven – that we can solve opportunities that we can learn and innovate together.