{"id":272010,"date":"2021-06-11T14:37:16","date_gmt":"2021-06-11T11:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/4-better-ways-to-boost-worker-wellness-than-amazons-ridiculous-zenbooth\/"},"modified":"2021-06-11T14:37:16","modified_gmt":"2021-06-11T11:37:16","slug":"4-better-ways-to-boost-worker-wellness-than-amazons-ridiculous-zenbooth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/4-better-ways-to-boost-worker-wellness-than-amazons-ridiculous-zenbooth\/","title":{"rendered":"#4 better ways to boost worker wellness than Amazon\u2019s ridiculous ZenBooth"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a382ebd6beda\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a382ebd6beda\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/4-better-ways-to-boost-worker-wellness-than-amazons-ridiculous-zenbooth\/#1_Health_and_productivity_can_and_must_coexist\" >1. Health and productivity can and must coexist<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/4-better-ways-to-boost-worker-wellness-than-amazons-ridiculous-zenbooth\/#2_Lifestyle_evangelism_is_no_substitute_for_decent_work\" >2. Lifestyle evangelism is no substitute for decent work<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/4-better-ways-to-boost-worker-wellness-than-amazons-ridiculous-zenbooth\/#3_Context_is_everything\" >3. Context is everything<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/4-better-ways-to-boost-worker-wellness-than-amazons-ridiculous-zenbooth\/#4_Employers_beware_of_%E2%80%98fools_gold\" >4. Employers: beware of \u2018fool\u2019s gold\u2019<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#4 better ways to boost worker wellness than Amazon\u2019s ridiculous ZenBooth<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>Corporate giant Amazon is taking heat over reports of its <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2021\/jun\/02\/amazon-workers-stress-mindfulness-training\">WorkingWell<\/a> initiative, a physical and mental health programme intended to improve employee health in the retail giant\u2019s fulfilment centres.<\/p>\n<p>A <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/epnvp7\/amazon-calls-warehouse-workers-industrial-athletes-in-leaked-wellness-pamphlet\">leaked pamphlet<\/a>, which Amazon has <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/epnvp7\/amazon-calls-warehouse-workers-industrial-athletes-in-leaked-wellness-pamphlet\">claimed<\/a> was created in error and is not being circulated, encourages workers to invest in their own fitness and become \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-9653309\/Amazon-describes-workers-industrial-athletes-leaked-wellness-pamphlet.html\">industrial athletes<\/a>\u201d. One aspect attracting particular attention is a plan for \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/technology-57287151\">AmaZen Booths<\/a>\u201d. Also called Mindful Practice Rooms, these kiosks are intended for employees to take breaks from work, experience periods of calm, and access mental health resources. Amazon <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/technology-57287151\">deleted a social media post<\/a> about the booths after being mocked on <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The details paint an unflattering picture of the company in light of its unprecedented rise in <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/greatspeculations\/2021\/06\/01\/amazons-stock-to-continue-rallying\/?sh=6fc61f8d4651\">revenues, profits and stock value<\/a> during the pandemic. Critics of Amazon say the company\u2019s unparalleled financial success is on the backs of its <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.geekwire.com\/2021\/amazon-now-employs-nearly-1-3-million-people-worldwide-adding-500000-workers-2020\/\">1.3 million employees<\/a> who are subject to precarious employment contracts \u2013 issues that came to a head after an <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/business-55927024\">unsuccessful campaign<\/a> among some US-based Amazon workers to gain trade union recognition.<\/p>\n<p>Commentators are also saying that these workers experience higher than average rates of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/technology\/2021\/06\/01\/amazon-osha-injury-rate\/\">workplace injuries<\/a> and are treated like \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.verdict.co.uk\/amazon-work-galley-slave\/\">galley slaves<\/a>\u201d. In such conditions, it is argued, a wellbeing initiative is beside the point.<\/p>\n<p>These programmes are gaining in popularity: COVID-19 has raised \u201cwellness\u201d up the agendas of corporations like never before \u2013 and not always in a good way. Many companies have introduced exercise classes, fruit and other sticking-plaster solutions rather than measures which assess risk, focus on prevention and prioritise \u201cdecent work\u201d as a driver of both wellbeing and productivity.<\/p>\n<p>Having been a judge for the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.globalhealthyworkplace.org\/\">Global Healthy Workplace Awards<\/a> since 2014, I have run a critical eye over many corporate wellness programmes. Like other big companies, Amazon faces the challenging balance of promoting employee wellbeing without being accused of tokenism.<\/p>\n<p>In trying to improve worker wellness, companies often miss the mark. Here are some things they should keep in mind:<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Health_and_productivity_can_and_must_coexist\"><\/span><strong>1. Health and productivity can and must coexist<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To imply that there should be a binary choice between health and productivity is facile and misleading. One of the more breathtaking things I heard from a senior executive of a large UK organisation during the pandemic was this:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Frankly, I think that job stress is a more effective driver of productivity for us than wellbeing programmes.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Far from being a niche or outdated opinion, this thinking is representative of a significant proportion of business leaders around the world. As it h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ens, this large organisation is also very keen to tell anyone who will listen that \u201cemployee health, safety and wellbeing is their biggest priority\u201d \u2013 though when I checked their latest report to shareholders and prospective investors, the words \u201crevenue\u201d and \u201cprofits\u201d outnumbered mentions of \u201csafety\u201d by a ratio of 25 to 1.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Lifestyle_evangelism_is_no_substitute_for_decent_work\"><\/span><strong>2. Lifestyle evangelism is no substitute for decent work<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The former chief medical officer of UK telecoms giant BT, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ioshmagazine.com\/health-and-wellbeing-work-2018\">Dr Paul Litchfield<\/a>, famously derided what he called the \u201cfruit and pilates\u201d approach to workplace wellbeing. He argued that no amount of healthy snacks in canteens, \u201cstep challenges\u201d or company fun runs can compensate for jobs with impossible deadlines or targets, or the stress of reporting to a manager who is a bully.<\/p>\n<p>One of the founding fathers of modern motivation theory, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.toolshero.com\/toolsheroes\/frederick-herzberg\/\">Frederick Herzberg<\/a>, once said: \u201cif you want someone to do a good job, give them a good job to do.\u201d Wellness programmes that ignore this simple idea are unlikely to have an enduring impact.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Context_is_everything\"><\/span><strong>3. Context is everything<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The AmaZen Booths are no more than a contemporary take on many successful community and workplace mental health programmes such as the \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s12889-021-10585-3\">Men\u2019s Shed<\/a>\u201d movement, which originated among working men in Australia in the 1990s. It targeted older men, who can often find being open about mental health very difficult, by offering resources and support which encouraged reflection and \u201chelp-seeking\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Similar booths have been used successfully by some UK employers. Electricity supplier E.ON created a \u201cHead Shed\u201d to encourage employees to find out more about mental wellbeing, for instance.<\/p>\n<p>The real test of Amazon\u2019s version is whether it is part of a genuinely coherent programme of initiatives which assess and reduce exposure to risk, and convince employees that the company really is prioritising their wellbeing over the long term. Having a well-branded initiative on wellbeing is never enough by itself, especially if many employees\u2019 everyday experience of work is that it is intense, strenuous and toxic.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Employers_beware_of_%E2%80%98fools_gold\"><\/span><strong>4. Employers: beware of \u2018fool\u2019s gold\u2019<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Employers need to be more critical consumers of wellbeing \u201cmiracle cures\u201d offered by commercial providers. I have seen too many employers divert resources from unglamorous but evidence-based interventions (like having access to a good occupational health nurse) towards those meant to \u201cshowcase\u201d their commitment to health and wellbeing.<\/p>\n<p>Used by themselves, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.activfirst.co.uk\/importance-laughter-work\">laughter coaches<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/onsitewellbeing.co.uk\/blog\/indian-head-office-massage\/\">head massages<\/a> are really no more than perks, with little or no direct impact on health or productivity. Even very popular initiatives such as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.employment-studies.co.uk\/news\/mental-health-training-managers-case-caveat-emptor\">Mental Health First Aid<\/a> have very little strong evidence of any long-term benefit.<\/p>\n<p>Sadly, in the drive for more productivity, the health and wellbeing of employees can be among the first casualties. Reports of Amazon\u2019s WorkingWell programme have, so far, not been flattering. Its challenge \u2013 like many other corporations \u2013 is to sweep aside the cynicism and demonstrate that its efforts will have tangible benefits for all of its employees and are not just PR spin.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/162143\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\"\/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/162143\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p><em>This article by\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/stephen-bevan-143328\">Stephen Bevan<\/a>, Head of HR Research Development, Institute for Employment Studies, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/lancaster-university-1176\">Lancaster University<\/a> is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/pilates-fruit-and-amazons-zen-booths-why-workplace-wellbeing-efforts-can-fall-short-162143\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/amazon-zenbooth-ridiculous-worker-wellness-syndication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#4 better ways to boost worker wellness than Amazon\u2019s ridiculous ZenBooth&#8221; Corporate giant Amazon is taking heat over reports of its WorkingWell initiative, a physical and mental health programme intended to improve employee health in the retail giant\u2019s fulfilment centres. A leaked pamphlet, which Amazon has claimed was created in error and is not being&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":272011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/growth-quarters?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/06\/amazon-edited-gq.jpg&signature=521f3e078c721ebc0733a27c0966ed03","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-272010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272010\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}