Amazon has surpassed its goal three years after vowing to hire more than 100,000 veterans and military spouses worldwide.
The company had created a policy to ensure that all veterans interviewing for Amazon vacancies have at least one fellow veteran sitting in on their final interview day. This was to ease the frustration and miscommunication many experienced while returning to the 9-5 job after the military.
While many applicants have the skills, they battle to explain their background and what expertise they can bring into the workplace. One such employee, Sam Koch, was hired while another veteran attended his employment interview, contributing to the positive outcome.
Koch now “pays it forward” by making himself available for other veterans when applying for a job at the world’s largest e-commerce company.
Health workplace environment
Last month, Amazon was recognized as a “top workplace in the US across all industries and number one in the tech sector.”
What makes Amazon an attractive employer? It’s its skills training and growth opportunities, says the e-commerce giant.
It now ranks second on LinkedIn’s Top Companies list. This list focuses on the “most sought-after” places to work and grow your career in the US. It’s designed to help professionals identify the best companies to develop their careers with.
Best of the rest in tech
Amazon took the top spot on this LinkedIn list for technology companies to work for.
According to some recent statistics from Zippia, over 1.3 million people are employed in warehouses from different companies in the US alone. However, Gen Zers are battling to find attractive logistics jobs in warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing plants. They are more attracted to jobs where technology is a priority.
A study by Soter Analytics has found that 33% of Gen Zers want to work for a company that is actively “embracing new technology.” It also found that 27% of Gen Zers want to work at a company with leading technologies like drones, artificial intelligence (AI), and virtual reality (VR).
Why focus on veterans and military spouses?
It shows Amazon’s ability to create an environment for employees who would otherwise have fallen through the interviewing system simply because of their inability to articulate their background.
Spotting talent that can work for the company and benefit applicants is a win-win situation for the community.
Amazon’s vice president of people and experiences, Ofori Agboka, says customers remain their top priority. “We’re able to put customers first by building outstanding, safe, innovative, inclusive, and engaged teams.”
Being ranked as one of LinkedIn’s top companies to work for is an achievement of note. “It’s all thanks to the thousands of employees who are inventing on behalf of the customer every single day,” says Agboka.
Amazon focuses on fast deliveries
The largest e-commerce company in the world is focusing its strategy on being the fastest delivery platform. It has sped up efforts drastically over the last few years.
It has established over 55 same-day delivery sites in the US, primarily around major metropolitan areas. Each of these sites is about 100,000 square feet in size.
Amazon is bolstering its capacity to take on more orders and deliver them in record time. These facilities are, in fact, smaller than their typical warehouses.
For same-day delivery sites, a smaller section of goods are kept in the facilities. It’s specifically the top-selling items in each city. According to CNBC, the fulfillment process at these sites is condensed under one roof. This is to reduce the number of stops a package has to make to be delivered to the customer.
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About the author
Mia is a multi-award-winning journalist. She has more than 14 years of experience in mainstream media. She's covered many historic moments that happened in Africa and internationally. She has a strong focus on human interest stories, to bring her readers and viewers closer to the topics at hand.
