As an e-commerce giant with close to one million U.S. employees, Amazon has become a popular place to work, whether it’s in a fulfillment center or the tech company’s head offices.
If you’ve seen Amazon job ads, you may be curious about the company’s working conditions. So what is Amazon break policy and are the working conditions good for employees? Let’s take a closer look at everything I’ve uncovered about this!
Key Takeaways
What Is Amazon’s Break Policy In 2022?
Amazon employees can take 30-minute meal breaks every five hours and additional 10-minute breaks are allowed for every four hours of work. Amazon warehouse employees have time off task measured when they leave their station, a policy which Amazon recently made more flexible to ensure employees take bathroom breaks.
If you want to know more about Amazon break policy and what it’s like to work at Amazon, then keep reading!
How Many Breaks Do Amazon Workers Get?
Like any retail job, the number of breaks workers are entitled to depends on the hours they work.
Amazon warehouse shifts range from 4-10 hours long with flexible scheduling such as early morning or overnight shifts. For delivery drivers, most shifts are 10 hours.
If an Amazon warehouse worker has a short four-hour shift, they can take a 10-minute break. However, if they are working a full 10 hours, then they have a 30-minute meal break every five hours.
Most Amazon office staff also just take one lunch break during the day and use bathroom breaks as needed.
Before signing up and agreeing to work for Amazon, all employees will receive information on their department’s break policy, so they know what to expect.
When Can You Take Amazon Breaks?
Amazon employees can take breaks when their supervisor instructs them to.
Working in an Amazon office gives you more flexibility on when you can take breaks, as most people will eat lunch around the same time.
In comparison, break times are more structured in an Amazon fulfillment center where warehouse work needs to continue around the clock.
Supervisors will keep track of the work schedule and confirm with employees when they can take a break.
For employees that work a set number of hours on every shift, their break schedule can be roughly the same every day based on their legal and company entitlements.
If employees alternate between short and long shifts, they may not get a full 30-minute meal break every day if they don’t clock more than five hours.
How Does Amazon Keep Track of Breaks?
Amazon has many levels of supervisors at fulfillment centers to keep an eye on employee break times and ensure everyone is taking their breaks without abusing the system.
There is also the time off task measurement, which keeps track of how long employees are away from their workstations. Recently, Amazon announced a shift to measuring time off task averages over a longer period.
This approach ensures employees are not punished for circumstances out of their control or that their time off task is not docked for bathroom breaks.
Additionally, the time off task metric is used to monitor staff productivity and identify areas for growth and improvement.
Amazon says this monitoring is aimed at improving operational issues rather than closely monitoring staff at all times.
Do Amazon Delivery Drivers Take Breaks?
Amazon delivery drivers have allotted meal and bathroom breaks, just like warehouse employees.
Most drivers do 10-hour shifts with a 30-minute lunch break and two 15 minute breaks that can be taken at any time.
However, drivers also have a long list of packages to deliver every day, and there are stories of drivers working through their breaks just to get through their list of deliveries.
Although there is break time built into delivery routes, drivers often want to get through traffic and delays and may eat and drink water on the go.
Does Amazon Offer Good Time Off?
In addition to the normal break time allotments, Amazon also offers competitive time off when employees need a bigger break.
There are company paid holidays and employees also earn paid time off, with amounts depending on which class of hours per week they fall into.
Paid sick time is based on local city and state ordinances, with paid personal leave entitlements also available.
Some employees may be eligible for leaves of absence due to qualifying medical conditions.
Are Amazon Breaks and Benefits Better Than Other Employers?
Amazon break policy falls in line with standard break policy across the U.S. Companies like Amazon are legally required to give employees breaks, so the overall break policy is similar to that of other retail employers.
Compared to other stores where part-timers may not be eligible for paid time off, Amazon has attractive benefits with annual accrual rates for both hourly and salaried employees.
Paid vacation and sick leave aren’t the only attractive benefits for Amazon employees.
The company is also known for its minimum wage of $15 per hour, with many employees starting at rates higher than that.
While Amazon’s starting wage is more than double the federal minimum, the company also offers attractive health and financial benefits packages that make it a good place to work for a lot of people.
From daily breaks to parental leave, Amazon says it is committed to employee benefits and wellbeing every day.
Now that you know about Amazon’s break policy, you can also read our related posts on the Amazon bereavement policy, Amazon employee dress code, and what it’s like to be an Amazon Flex driver.
Conclusion
Amazon warehouse workers and delivery drivers are responsible for fulfilling thousands and thousands of orders every day.
While Amazon supports its employees and makes sure they get the legally required breaks, the company also monitors breaks and time off task to keep everything flowing smoothly.
For every five hours they work, Amazon employees are entitled to 30 minutes for meal breaks or additional 10-minute breaks for every four hours.
Bathroom breaks can be taken at any time within reason. In general, Amazon supervisors will just keep an eye on employee break times to ensure no one takes advantage of the system while also checking that all staff members are getting the breaks they legally need.