Amazon’s internal and external environments were analyzed using PEST and SWOT models. Taking into account of relevant literature on strategic human resource management (SHRM) and models like the Harvard model and the human resource management/industrial relation (HRM/IR) model, the reasons for Amazon’s employee high turnover rate were analyzed. In this paper, several solutions to this issue are indicated, including improving incentive policies and organizing training. At the end of this paper, my personal experiences and the lessons learned throughout the course are summarized.
The Irish Times, 2022, Amazon More Than Doubles Its Maximum Base Salary for Some Staff to $350,000, viewed on March 6, 2023, https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/amazon-more-than-doubles-its-maximum-base-salary-for-some-staff-to-350-000-1.4796286
The New York Times, 2021, The Amazon That Customers Don’t See, viewed on March 6, 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/06/15/us/amazon-workers.html
Stone B, 2022, Burnt Out Amazon Employees Are Embracing the Great Resignation, viewed on June 4, 2022, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2022-01-24/amazon-employees-are-burned-out-and-leaving-their-jobs
Parello CP, 2019, Equilibrium Indeterminacy in One-Sector Small Open Economies: The Role of International Labor Migration. Macroeconomic Dynamics, 23(4): 1528–1562. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1365100517000335
Daghfous A, Belkhodja O, Angell LC, 2013, Understanding and Managing Knowledge Loss. Journal of Knowledge Management, 17(5): 639–660. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-12-2012-0394
Somaya D, Williamson IO, Lorinkova N, 2008, Gone but Not Lost: The Different Performance Impacts of Employee Mobility between Cooperators versus Competitors. Academy of Management Journal, 51(5): 936–953. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMJ.2008.34789660
Pu X, Zhang G, Tse C-S, et al., 2022, When Does Daily Job Performance Motivate Learning Behavior? The Stimulation of High Turnover Rate. Journal of Knowledge Management, 26(5): 1368–1385. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-03-2021-0242
Zheng C, Lamond D, 2010, Organisational Determinants of Employee Turnover for Multinational Companies in Asia. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 27(3): 423–443. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-009-9159-y
Eidelson J, 2018, Employees at Amazon’s New NYC Warehouse Launch Union Push, viewed on, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-12/employees-at-amazon-s-new-nyc-warehouse-launch-unionization-push#xj4y7vzkg
Shutt J, Sutherland J, 2003, Encouraging the Transition into Self-Employment. Regional Studies, 37(1): 97–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/0034340022000033427
Abreu M, Oner O, Brouwer A, et al., 2019, Well-Being Effects of Self-Employment: A Spatial Inquiry. Journal of Business Venturing, 34(4): 589–607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2018.11.001
Meland H, Waage R, Sein M, 2005, Proceedings of the 2005 ACM SIGMIS CPR Conference on Computer Personnel Research, April 14–16, 2005: The Other Side of Turnover, SIGMIS, Atlanta Georgia USA, 67–74. https://doi.org/10.1145/1055973.1056001
Hancock JI, Allen DG, Bosco FA, et al., 2013, Meta-Analytic Review of Employee Turnover as a Predictor of Firm Performance. Journal of Management, 39(3): 573–603. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206311424943
Shaw JD, Park T-Y, Kim E, 2013, A Resource-Based Perspective on Human Capital Losses, HRM Investments, and Organizational Performance. Strategic Management Journal, 34(5): 572–589. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2025
Crook TR, Todd SY, Combs JG, et al., 2011, Does Human Capital Matter? A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship between Human Capital and Firm Performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(3): 443–456. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022147
De Winne S, Marescaux E, Sels L, et al., 2019, The Impact of Employee Turnover and Turnover Volatility on Labor Productivity: A Flexible Non-Linear Approach. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 30(21): 3049–3079. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2018.1449129
Shaw JD, Gupta N, Delery JE, 2005, Alternative Conceptualizations of the Relationship Between Voluntary Turnover and Organizational Performance. Academy of Management Journal, 48(1): 50–68. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMJ.2005.15993112
Heavey AL, Holwerda JA, Hausknecht JP, 2013, Causes and Consequences of Collective Turnover: A Meta-Analytic Review. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(3): 412–453.
Shen J, 2010, Employees’ Satisfaction with HRM in Chinese Privately-Owned Enterprises. Asia Pacific Business Review, 16(3): 339–354. https://doi.org/10.1080/13602380902846659
Yakut E, Kara E, 2022, Determining Role of Employee Empowerment and Perceived Organizational Support in the Effect of Shrm on Job Satisfaction and Turnover ?ntention. Ege Akademik Bak?s, 22(1): 17–31. https://doi.org/10.21121/eab.1059836
Weisberg M, Dent E, 2016, Meaning of Money? Non-Profit Employee Satisfaction. Voluntary Sector Review, 7(3): 293–313. https://doi.org/10.1332/096278916X14767760873899
Holmberg C, Sobis I, Carlström E, 2016, Job Satisfaction Among Swedish Mental Health Nursing Staff: A Cross-Sectional Survey. International Journal of Public Administration, 39(6): 429–436. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2015.1018432
Palmer A, 2022, Amazon Boosts Max Base Pay for Corporate Workers to $350,000 as Labor Market Heats Up, viewed on March 7, 2023, https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/07/amazon-boosts-max-base-pay-for-corporate-workers-to-350000-.html
Wahba MA, Bridwell LG, 1976, Maslow Reconsidered: A Review of Research ON THE Need Hierarchy Theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 15(2): 212–240. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-5073(76)90038-6
Guardian News and Media, 2020, ‘I’m Not a Robot’: Amazon Workers Condemn Unsafe, Grueling Conditions at Warehouse, viewed on March 6, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/feb/05/amazon-workers-protest-unsafe-grueling-conditions-warehouse
Beer M, 1984, Managing Human Assets, Free Press; Collier Macmillan, New York, London.
Mercurio ZA, 2015, Affective Commitment as a Core Essence of Organizational Commitment. Human Resource Development Review, 14(4): 389–414. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484315603612
Zhang L, Guo X, Lei Z, et al., 2019, Social Network Analysis of Sustainable Human Resource Management from the Employee Training’s Perspective. Sustainability, 11(2): 380. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11020380