Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 6th Edition by Raymond Noe, John Hollenbeck, Barry Gerhart,Patrick Wright

Exercise 14

Amazon's Warehouse Jobs: Good or Grueling Work
As the economy slowly recovers, one concern is that many jobs being created are not "good" jobs-that is, they offer low pay and little prospect for career advancement. However, online retailer Amazon is adding jobs it says are good. With sales steadily increasing, Amazon keeps adding distribution centers to store, sort, and ship merchandise. In each new distribution center, it needs employees. Recently, the company announced it would add 5,000 full-time employees to fill orders in its distribution centers.
Amazon said these fulfillment jobs are "not your typical warehouse jobs," with the difference being the scale of operations. A typical Amazon fulfillment center occupies a million square feet. The job description includes operating a forklift and moving heavy boxes to pick, pack, and ship orders. Job specifications include the ability to put in 12-hour days of walking, bending, and reaching in a facility where temperatures may range between 60 and 90 degrees. Applicants also must be at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or the equivalent, and be able to read directions in English.
In exchange for hard work, Amazon says it pays 30 percent more than the average worker earns in a retail store. With the average retail wage near $10 per hour, that puts Amazon's pay at about $13 per hour. In addition, full-time employees receive health insurance, a retirement savings plan, shares of the company's stock, and tuition reimbursement up to $3,000 per year.
While working in an Amazon warehouse might pay more than working in the warehouse behind a brick-and-mortar store, managers realize that the strenuous work may not seem like a good job to everyone who tries it. The company therefore has borrowed an idea from Zappos, a business it acquired: it will pay fulfillment center employees to quit. An employee who decides within the first year that he or she doesn't want to stay at Amazon will receive $2,000 in severance pay. The amount increases by a thousand dollars a year until the fourth year, when employees who quit will receive $5,000. The goal of the program, which has the slogan "Please Don't Take This Offer," is to ensure that all employees are satisfied and committed to their work.
It also may be a way for Amazon to address complaints expressed by some workers in its distribution centers. For example, some employees have filed complaints with the federal government that high temperatures have created unsafe conditions and contributed to injuries resulting in trips to the hospital. Amazon could benefit if employees who find the working conditions too difficult choose to take the severance pay or sign up for tuition reimbursement to learn another kind of work.
Based on the information provided, write a simple work flow analysis listing the inputs, activities, and outputs of an Amazon distribution center.