An Amazon spokeswoman in Germany said the company had ended its relationship with Hensel European Security Services “with immediate effect.”
“Amazon has a zero tolerance limit for discrimination and intimidation and expects the same of other companies we work with,” spokeswoman Ulrike Stoecker said in an email to The Associated Press.
There are a few really key points for the industry to look at with this one. So let’s break it down as to what is at issue. First, a documentary group brought forth the poor working conditions in an Amazon facility in Germany. Amazon is an American company and has a global presence, to include in Germany (it’s second largest market next to the US). This particular facility was staffed with foreign temporary workers, and especially during the holiday seasons, and the HESS security company was contracted to watch over the operation.
Obviously the documentary film was designed to show Amazon in a bad light and point out some poor practices of the company. What is interesting though is that the film also went on to target the security company Amazon hired.
First, Amazon should have known better. Whomever was tasked with vetting security companies for this particular facility, did a pretty poor job. Why would you hire a company with the acronym HESS (remember Rudolph Hess?) in it’s title, and that allows it’s employees to dress like Neo-Nazis wearing known gang clothing? Even if they are effectively doing their job as per the contract, the visuals of such a thing, as well as the name of the company, has effectively put a big target on the back of Amazon by it’s competitors.
Now Amazon is in damage control mode and this HESS security company has been fired. To emphasize why this is so damaging, just look at how much business Amazon does in Germany. Quote:
Damage limitation in major marketplace
Amazon recorded sales of 6.8 billion euros ($8.4 billion) in Germany in 2012, making it the company’s second-largest market after the United States. The company is Germany’s leading e-commerce business with an online market share just below 25 percent.
Many Germans called for boycotts or protests after the broadcast. A petition endorsed by the Verdi trade union, responsible for those Amazon staff seeking union representation, had garnered more than 3,000 signatures as of the early hours of Saturday morning.
Now that last part might be a key thing to mention here as well. A foreign company that employs foreign temporary workers, does not look good to those in Germany who would like to have those jobs. More than likely, these foreign temporary workers get this kind of treatment because the company is investing so little in their welfare. Meaning Germans would probably not accept such working conditions for such a job, but foreign temps from poor countries probably would, and do.
It is also an embarrassment to Germany, for a foreign company, that is allowed to operate on their soil and treat workers like this. So here comes the boycotts and the public outrage and a cut in market share in Germany. Although who can compete with Amazon is the question, and to Amazon, it is merely a matter of correcting the wrongs. We will see.
As for the lesson learned for security companies? Choose your company name wisely and actually care about how your employees or contractors operate. If they are wearing gang clothing or some other offensive clothing that would present the client company in a bad light, then maybe a policy should be in place to regulate that. Or if your company uniform sends the wrong message, then maybe you should re-evaluate what is more appropriate for that contract/mission. The brand, the image, the actions of it’s people–are all things that need to be carefully thought out and managed. Do not embarrass the client.
The various clients of security companies need to wake up as well. Amazon is a huge company, but there is no excuse for them to make such poor decisions in vetting.
My advice for companies is that the security company you hire is representing you, so do your due diligence and ensure you have a company that will not only protect you and your assets, but also protect your good name by not being an embarrassment. –Matt
Amazon fires German security firm amid probe
By FRANK JORDANS
Monday, February 18, 2013
Online retailer Amazon reacted to mounting criticism Monday by firing a security company named in a German television documentary about alleged mistreatment of foreign temporary workers.
An Amazon spokeswoman in Germany said the company had ended its relationship with Hensel European Security Services “with immediate effect.”
“Amazon has a zero tolerance limit for discrimination and intimidation and expects the same of other companies we work with,” spokeswoman Ulrike Stoecker said in an email to The Associated Press.
A documentary shown on German public television channel ARD last week showed staff of the security company — whose initials spell out the surname of Adolf Hitler’s deputy Rudolf Hess — wearing clothes linked to Germany’s neo-Nazi scene. It also interviewed people claiming they were intimidated by the security guards, who were stationed at a holiday camp where the temporary staff were housed.
Story here.
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Amazon scrambles after damning German documentary
February 16, 2013
Online shopping giant Amazon is on the defensive in its second-largest market after a critical investigative report. Local labor authorities say allegations of employee mistreatment severely damage Germany’s image.
The state of Hesse’s labor agency on Friday said that Amazon’s apparent treatment of Spanish staff deeply damages Germany’s reputation.
“The allegations that were broadcast are very serious and affected me greatly,” head of the Hesse branch of the Federal Employment Agency, Frank Martin, said in a statement. Martin called on Amazon to clear up the “currently non-transparent working practices” as quickly as possible.
A public television documentary on ARD, whose title roughly translated as “shipped out!”, looked into working conditions for seasonal staff – mostly from outside Germany – brought in to deal with the Christmas rush at Amazon’s German outlets.
The half-hour investigative program explored tiny temporary accommodation, unreliable bus transportation to and from Amazon offices, temporary and unsecured contracts, as well as the last-minute outsourcing of work contracts to employment agencies – reportedly paying less than the wages advertised on the original job application.
It also displayed a heavy presence of security staff from a company called H.E.S.S (Hensel European Security Services), with the program questioning a possible allusion to Adolf Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess. The security firm was contracted by an employment agency, not Amazon directly.
The program featured Amazon distribution centers in Augsburg, Bavaria, the western town of Koblenz and most prominently, Bad Hersfeld in Hesse.
“The living and working conditions of Spanish seasonal workers portrayed in the television documentary damage Germany’s reputation deeply,” Martin said, also saying he was concerned that the state’s chances of securing qualified staff would suffer “if such examples were to become more common.”
Damage limitation in major marketplace
Amazon recorded sales of 6.8 billion euros ($8.4 billion) in Germany in 2012, making it the company’s second-largest market after the United States. The company is Germany’s leading e-commerce business with an online market share just below 25 percent.
Many Germans called for boycotts or protests after the broadcast. A petition endorsed by the Verdi trade union, responsible for those Amazon staff seeking union representation, had garnered more than 3,000 signatures as of the early hours of Saturday morning.
In Augsburg, Verdi announced that a long sought-after staff council for Amazon’s logistics center at Graben was voted in on Friday. “This was more than overdue and is a large step towards an improvement of the working conditions at Amazon,” Verdi’s Thomas Gürlebeck said, adding that the documentary had given the motion a boost.
Augsburg’s staff council elections were mentioned in the ARD show, with a local pastor spearheading the initiative one of the few people willing to be interviewed without using a pseudonym or disguising their voice.
“The staff council and we will take Amazon at its word, and seek progress towards improved working conditions,” Verdi’s Gürlebeck said.
Amazon released a statement earlier in the week saying it was standard for a seasonal business to employ people temporarily, also pledging to look into allegations of random searches by H.E.S.S security staff.
“Even though the security firm was not hired by Amazon, we are now obviously checking the allegation by the journalists regarding the behavior of security personnel and will swiftly implement appropriate measures,” the Amazon statement said, adding the company tolerated “no form of discrimination or intimidation.”
Amazon employs more than 7,000 people permanently in Germany, but takes on thousands more in peak shopping seasons.
Story here.