Amazon tried to rebrand its grueling warehouse worker roles as ‘industrial athletes’

An Amazon pamphlet described its warehouse workers as “industrial athletes” and offered tips to prepare for work shifts - in a crafty bit of rebranding of the reportedly gruelling manual roles.

The “Amazonians Guide to Health and Wellness” pamphlet that was circulated at its Tulsa, Oklahoma warehouse in 2020 was leaked to Vice’s affiliate Motherboard.

The pamphlet reportedly framed workers’ shifts as challenges that athletes take on - instead of describing it as heavy labor.

It was part of the company’s WorkingWell program, according to a Motherboard report published by Vice on Tuesday.

"Here at Amazon, you will become an industrial athlete," the pamphlet read. "Just like an athlete who trains for an event, industrial athletes need to prepare their bodies to be able [to] perform their best at work. We want to make sure you feel your best while doing your best!"

The tech giant offered self-care tips to workers, suggesting that they eat fish and nuts and “buy shoes at the end of the day when your feet are swollen to allow for plenty of room when they swell during work."

The wellness guide also advised workers to stretch, get massages, and compress and elevate their injuries instead of decreasing the pace of heavy duty work. “[take] care of YOU on your days off,” it added.

Amazon didn’t immediately respond to indy100’s request for comment, but the company told Motherboard that the pamphlet was made by mistake and was immediately taken out.

However, Motherboard reported that it has been around since at least November 2020 and was still attainable a few weeks ago.

Amazon defended its WorkingWell program, claiming that it supports workers’ well being and health.

The program provides workers with "physical and mental activities, wellness exercises, and healthy eating support,” the company told Motherboard.

The WorkingWell program was officially launched in May to “prevent injuries, provide wellness services, and offer quality healthcare for employees while at work and at home,” according to Amazon’s statement.

Amazon has been criticized nationwide for its warehouse working conditions that led to recent unionization attempts.

A report by the Strategic Organizing Center found that Amazon workers were severely injured over 24,000 times in 2020 which is 80% higher than the serious injury rate for other employers in the warehouse sector in the US.

The Strategic Organizing Center is a group of some of the largest labor unions in the country.

“For every 100 Amazon warehouse workers, there were 5.9 serious injuries requiring the worker to either miss work entirely (lost time) or be placed on light or restricted duty,” the report read.