3 ms·

nah. a wrongful termination lawsuit is expensive (think 7 figures). what i think amazon is going to do is put the workers that try this stunt into positions tha

nah. a wrongful termination lawsuit is expensive (think 7 figures). what i think amazon is going to do is put the workers that try this stunt into positions that are so crappy or the demands are so unrealistic that they’re gonna quit.

jwineinger 6y ago
Wouldn't that be considered constructive dismissal, and still subject to this sort of action?
- londons_explore 6y ago
  Yes, but awfully hard to prove.
  - eropple 6y ago
    Constructive dismissal is difficult to prove, but generally less so in the context of sabotage of labor activism.
LordDragonfang 6y ago
>a wrongful termination lawsuit is expensive (think 7 figures) When you're a company that makes 11 figures, spending 7 figures for a 1% increase in profits is a hundredfold ROI. They're not expensive, they're a bargain.
- rantwasp 6y ago
  if it’s one employee yes. if you’re going to be basically liable every time you fire someone it’s not worth it.
  - LordDragonfang 6y ago
    That's 11 figures annually. Even if you make that settlement nearly 100 times a year, you still come out ahead
    - rantwasp 6y ago
      i think that the way a corporation would mitigate this risk is different. if i need to pay you 5million in a wrongful termination scenario vs paying you 250k per year, I could make you work for 20 years doing nothing and make your life miserable.
      - ineedasername 6y ago
        The key thing is they don't want want people working for them badmouthing the company. I'm sure they view a few million a year in settlements instead of the bad PR of letting it continue, and at such a high level as these people were working at. Also making a person's life miserable at work is something a person can easily document over a year or two and then bring that lawsuit, so that's not a great option either.
- fmajid 6y ago
  That settlement is still coming from one individual's budget within the company. Even though the settlement amount is not material for a company the size of Amazon, it will be material to that one employee, who may even be fired herself (e.g. if she is in HR), so the incentive structure of the individuals within the Amazon hive mind will still be impacted.
ineedasername 6y ago
Not really, they have lawyers they're paying anyway, they have to work on something.

jwineinger 6y ago

Wouldn't that be considered constructive dismissal, and still subject to this sort of action?

londons_explore 6y ago
Yes, but awfully hard to prove.
- eropple 6y ago
  Constructive dismissal is difficult to prove, but generally less so in the context of sabotage of labor activism.

LordDragonfang 6y ago

>a wrongful termination lawsuit is expensive (think 7 figures) When you're a company that makes 11 figures, spending 7 figures for a 1% increase in profits is a hundredfold ROI. They're not expensive, they're a bargain.

rantwasp 6y ago
if it’s one employee yes. if you’re going to be basically liable every time you fire someone it’s not worth it.
- LordDragonfang 6y ago
  That's 11 figures annually. Even if you make that settlement nearly 100 times a year, you still come out ahead
  - rantwasp 6y ago
    i think that the way a corporation would mitigate this risk is different. if i need to pay you 5million in a wrongful termination scenario vs paying you 250k per year, I could make you work for 20 years doing nothing and make your life miserable.
    - ineedasername 6y ago
      The key thing is they don't want want people working for them badmouthing the company. I'm sure they view a few million a year in settlements instead of the bad PR of letting it continue, and at such a high level as these people were working at. Also making a person's life miserable at work is something a person can easily document over a year or two and then bring that lawsuit, so that's not a great option either.
fmajid 6y ago
That settlement is still coming from one individual's budget within the company. Even though the settlement amount is not material for a company the size of Amazon, it will be material to that one employee, who may even be fired herself (e.g. if she is in HR), so the incentive structure of the individuals within the Amazon hive mind will still be impacted.

ineedasername 6y ago

Not really, they have lawyers they're paying anyway, they have to work on something.