Lessons from Amazon's Warehouse Game Promo: Reward Employees, Allow them to Choose their Gift, But Don't Get OSHA Involved

In 2021, in the midst of a world still reeling from pandemic shutdowns and, therefore, an unprecedented hike in demand for products ordered online, Amazon ramped up its video-game-like incentive program for its warehouse employees to keep up the pace by "gamifying" their work.

It started in 2019, when Amazon literally turned tasks into retro-style games with cute little names like "PicksInSpace," "Dragon Duel," and "MissionRacer." Their prize? Employees who landed on the leaderboard earned "swag bucks" that could be spent on branded Amazon merchandise like T-shirts and other promotional products.

My new gear I bought with my 75 Swag Bucks I earned at Amazon Ric 1 Fulfillment Center @amazon pic.twitter.com/V9TtKK2o7a

— L.D.B. (@IAMQuanByrd) December 23, 2022

In 2021, Amazon employees felt that branded merchandise wasn't enough of a reward for the work they were putting in, although company stores and branded merchandise often serve as an effective appreciation gift.

"You want to feel good about your workplace," one employee at an Alabama facility said at the time. "You want to feel like you're appreciated. But it's not like that here."

Now, nearly two years later, the program is still alive, and branded merchandise is still the prize, but the Department of Labor is saying that the gamified work environment could create a potentially dangerous work environment.

Per Business Insider, OSHA found that the games in New York warehouses incentivized workers to prioritize speed over safety in an environment that regularly required lifting items heavier than 25 lbs. When they are working too fast with heavy items, it creates a real risk of injury.

OSHA also found that the way some job-games were structured caused employees to "awkwardly [twist], [bend] and [extend] themselves to lift items."

For the three warehouses it reported finding dangerous practices, OSHA said it would seek fines of $46,875.

"Amazon's operating methods are creating hazardous work conditions and processes, leading to serious worker injuries," said Doug Parker, assistant secretary for OSHA, in a statement to Business Insider. "They need to take these injuries seriously and implement a company-wide strategy to protect their employees from these well-known and preventable hazards."