Oxfam Report Reveals Concerns Among Amazon and Walmart Warehouse Workers Over Extreme Surveillance

Both Amazon and Walmart use excessive surveillance in their warehouses and the “concerning” implementation poses a serious risk to employees’ health and well-being, according to a recent report by Oxfam, an international antipoverty organization.

The extensive report, called “At Work and Under Watch: Surveillance and Suffering at Amazon and Walmart Warehouses,” was released on Wednesday. It brings to the forefront survey data gathered from 1,484 Amazon warehouse workers and 444 Walmart warehouse workers nationwide.

According to Amazon, at present, it has 750,000 operations staff employed in warehouses across the U.S., and a recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing reveals that Walmart has around 1.6 million workers in the U.S., of which tens of thousands are employed at Walmart’s 200+ distribution centers across the nation.

The Oxfam report includes numerous accounts from anonymous warehouse employees from both major retailers, with one Amazon worker comparing their work environment to “slavery” due to harsh labor conditions.

Per the report, over half of Walmart and Amazon warehouse workers said “they’ve found it tough to make time to use the bathroom.” Additionally, around three-quarters noted “feeling pressure to work faster at least some of the time.”

The report says, “Amazon has been a pioneer in the area of worker surveillance and management in its warehouses, and Walmart, long known for adopting repressive practices to monitor workers, is also entering a new phase of accelerated technology deployment across its facilities.”

The report also incorporates findings from two recent surveys, partially funded by Oxfam: the National Survey of Amazon Warehouse Workers and the National Survey of Walmart Warehouse Workers. These surveys reveal that a significant portion of Amazon and Walmart warehouse employees feel closely monitored by technology during work hours.

According to the report, “As the data shows, although key differences exist, workers at both Amazon and Walmart are experiencing concerning levels of surveillance. Crucially, excessive surveillance is not simply disconcerting for workers; it also erodes worker rights.”

Amazon disputes allegations of using technology for worker monitoring, while Walmart criticizes the report for its portrayal of the company’s technology practices.

One Amazon spokesperson said, “While we respect Oxfam and its mission, we have strong disagreements with the characterizations and conclusions made throughout this paper — many based on flawed methodology and hyperbolic anecdotes.” They continued, adding, “In reality, Amazon has made notable safety gains and enriched the communities in which we operate, providing safe, good paying jobs with health benefits and educational opportunities.”

Additionally, a Walmart spokesperson stated, “Oxfam’s claims are based on incomplete and misleading information. This report inaccurately represents Walmart’s use of technology and Walmart’s publicly available disclosures around data privacy and worker safety.”