Can you refuse mandatory overtime at Amazon?
Yes, mandatory overtime is legal, and in general, employees cannot refuse to work overtime. The FLSA doesn't put a limit on how many hours of overtime an employee can work — it only stipulates that employers must pay minimum wage for regular hours and overtime rates when an employee works over 40 hours a week.
Generally and in most states, Amazon will not pay overtime until an employee's total clocked hours exceed 40. There is a maximum of 60 hours per week as mandatory overtime is called usually when it's busy or backlogged, but many employees openly break this rule and work longer.
Unauthorised absence is misconduct and can lead to disciplinary action. However, there is a process that employers should follow before resorting to disciplinary action. Read on to discover how to deal with an employee who fails to turn up to work, and when disciplinary action might be appropriate.
If a worker is late or absent for mandatory overtime, she must cover the absence with PTO (personal time) or UPT (unpaid time off), unless she has been previously approved for vacation. An employee can accumulate a maximum of 80 hours UPT in her account.
Overtime is mandatory. If an employee misses it, he must forfeit UPT, personal time, or vacation. Mandatory overtime can be called as late as the end of shift the day before.
Can You Get Fired for Refusing to Work Overtime? The answer depends on what your contract says about it. If your contract states that you must work overtime, then refusing to do so can lead to disciplinary action. If it does not, then your employer cannot force you to work extra hours.
Amazon's Mandatory Overtime Policy
If you work for Amazon full-time, you will be on-call for at least one overtime shift every week. However, employees who are on a fixed salary do not receive any extra pay for this.
VET is voluntary extra time. It is an opportunity to work extra hours outside of your regular scheduled shift times. VET is optional and is paid at the same rate as your normal pay.
Yes, They give out a lot of overtime when its comes to peak seasons, also if the backlog is high, either they give out mandatory overtme or voluntary overtime and Yes they paid time and half for overtime.
When an employee misses a day of work, it's commonplace to believe that the employee will be fired for this offense. This is because, in most circumstances, an employee can and will be fired for missing a day of work without providing his or her employee with adequate and proper notice.
How do you apologize for forgetting a shift?
Explain your absence honestly without making excuses, apologize for it, and if applicable, offer details about how you will prevent it from happening again. “Own your mistake. Don't make excuses for yourself, just say you're sorry.
Many employers have policies informing employees that they will be fired after two or three days of absence if they have not called in to say they will be absent, Pate observed. Some employers choose to discharge workers after just one day of no-call/no-show absence.

In the US you need approval and the approval should be in written form.
Hourly associates accrue 40 hours of PTO (paid time off), 80 hours of UPT (unpaid time off) and an accrual of 40 hours of vacation for the first year (and 80 hours of vacation from the second year on). Vacation time does roll over from year to year. PTO and UPT do not roll over at the end of the year.
You begin accumulating vacation from day one, and you're given 40 hours of unpaid time off from day one. All PTO hours accumulated over a one year period of time will expire if not used before 12/31/17...it is scheduled on a yearly basis.
strictly prohibited. Employees are required to clock in before performing any work and are not permitted to clock out until all work has stopped. Employees that under report or fail to report hours worked are subject to corrective action up to and including termination.
You can take up to 80 hours of sick leave each year if you are ill. Employees at Amazon take an average of 80 sick days each year. Within 90 days, Amazon employees are entitled to 20 hours of sick leave. That implies an employee may take 20 hours off for a sick day and not be penalized.
Salary and extra pay for working nights. Long hours over 4 days, mandatory overtime for managers over peak without pay, culture at work.
Mandatory overtime is a term used in human resources to describe a requirement that employees work beyond their normal hours. This may be required in order to meet operational needs or to address a shortage of staff.
Quiet quitting refers to doing the minimum requirements of one's job and putting in no more time, effort, or enthusiasm than absolutely necessary. As such, it is something of a misnomer, since the worker doesn't actually leave their position and continues to collect a salary.
How much overtime is too much?
The results provide a window into how much overtime is too much. Twenty-five percent beyond normal weekly working hours may be the acceptable limit.
So, does PTO count toward overtime? When it comes to PTO accrual, do not include overtime hours in your accrual calculations. Instead, employees accrue paid time off on regular hours worked, up to 40 hours per week.
Add-ons that bump-up your pay
At Amazon, overtime and night shifts* are paid extra.
Can I work 7 days in a row at Amazon? The law clarifies this wording by stating that employees who work jobs that reasonably need longer work weeks can be required to work seven or more days in a row, as long as one out of every seven days in the month is a rest day.
For salaried employees in the U.S., you can earn between 3-6 days of personal time depending on whether you're a part-time, reduced-time or full-time employee. Personal time is earned in addition to vacation time. In this way, the total Amazon PTO time for a new hire will include 10 vacation days, plus 6 personal days.
Negotiating a job offer for a fast-growing tech company like Amazon can be intimidating, but it's essential if you want to receive better compensation. In fact, 100% of our clients received more compensation when they negotiated their Amazon job offer using The Salary Negotiator's tried-and-true strategy.
A 3rd Shift Amazon Warehouse Team Member in your area makes on average $17 per hour, or $0.51 (3%) more than the national average hourly salary of $16.68.
In addition to the holiday benefit, full-time hourly employees also receive one and one-half times their basic hourly rate for each hour they are required to work on an observed holiday.
The average tenure of a full-time Amazonian is roughly one year, while tenure at other tech places like Facebook, Apple, and Google tends to be roughly about two years.
In most locations, the peak season starts at or before Thanksgiving and lasts through Christmas to early January. This means that the start date could be anywhere from mid to late October to mid to late November, while the end date is anywhere from late December (e.g. December 26th) to New Year's.
What happens if you skip a day at Amazon?
We'll make three delivery attempts on consecutive days. If the third delivery attempt is unsuccessful your package will be returned to Amazon for a refund.
Know your rights when calling in sick
Bottom line If you're an at-will employee, technically, your employer can fire you for calling in sick—but that doesn't always apply. As an employee, it's important to know your rights and when your employer does—and does not—have the legal right to fire you for calling in sick.
Your employer can terminate your employment at any time and without warning. They do not need to have a good or valid reason to let you go, so long as they are not firing you for discriminatory reasons. If your termination is not tied to severe workplace misconduct, you dismissal is considered one “without cause”.
Definition of No Call No Show
Each day the employee doesn't report for a shift or call to notify a supervisor is considered a no call no show event. If the employee fails to report for 3 days, it's considered a voluntary termination by the employee.
You simply acknowledge the mistake, explain why it happened if relevant, and say what you're doing to ensure it doesn't happen again. That signals that you recognise the mistake, aren't cavalier about it and want to avoid it in the future. That's all that's required when you mess up at work.
- "Unfortunately, I already have plans during that time. ...
- "I'm sorry, I'm going to be out of town with my family. ...
- "I'm unavailable during that time, but if you need any help on Saturday, feel free to let me know."
Here is a breakdown of Amazon's point system: 1 point = employee misses part of a shift. 2 points = employee misses a full shift without calling out at least 16 hours beforehand. 2 points with an “absence submission infraction” = employee misses an entire shift without calling out at least 2 hours beforehand.
Call Your Manager Right Away and Be Honest
Regardless of the reason for your no call, no show, call your manager the moment you have an opportunity. The longer you wait to call and explain yourself, the angrier your manager may become.
Why Does Amazon Give VTO? VTO allows Amazon facilities to reduce labor costs, especially when there is low volume of work and/or there are too many associates working or scheduled to work for that day.
You get pto and upt. So basically if you get sick and no pto you have three options. Use upt, get a doctor's note, or just suck it up. Amazon goes by a point scale.
How many hours of UPT does Amazon give per week?
Part Time (20-29 hours per week) | Reduced Time (30-39 hours per week) | Full Time (40+ hours per week) |
---|---|---|
24 hours / 3 days | 36 hours / 4.5 days | 48 hours / 6 days |
You receive 3.5 hours of PTO (bi-weekly) for a total of 6 months out of the year. Afterwards you will stop accruing, however, you continue to receive 1.5 hours of vacation through out the whole year per pay period (bi-weekly).
It's Christmas Day you're going to want to worry about. According to JamesMcCalister.com, “Amazon only closes on one day a year – Christmas. Additionally, there may be reduced shifts offered for Amazon fulfillment center employees on Christmas Eve.”
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It's OK to say no to overtime
- "No. Sorry."
- "No. Thanks for asking me."
- "No. Please keep me in mind for future open shifts."
- "Sorry, I am not available."
If your contract says you have compulsory overtime but it's 'non-guaranteed', your employer doesn't have to offer overtime. But if they do, you must accept and work it. Your employer could take disciplinary action or dismiss you if you don't do the overtime you've agreed to.
There is no obligation to remain to cover a shift. If you are asked and are willing and able to cover the shift then great! If someone is unable to work their shift, it is company policy that they must find their own replacement, or a doctor's note must be provided.
Keep it factual, not emotional. Don't get personal. Understand the boss's position and state your reason calmly. State that, as much as you would like to step up and help in the given situation, your circumstances/health/other commitments/employment contract do not permit you to do it.
“I wanted to ask you if it would be possible to take off [date] from [time] to [time] for [reason]? To make up for the missed time, I plan to [what you plan to do to make up for it]. I also know we have [meeting] scheduled during that time, and was wondering if it would be possible to reschedule.