--- description: The Washington Post reports that Amazon is launching technical teams whose workers will only clock in for 30 hours a week. title: Amazon Tests Out 30-Hour Work Week image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc1359286081f83b7/6988a3f9656a3fa7b5bcce78/amazon-30-hour-workweeks.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Companies](/tag/companies/) ## Companies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Amazon Tests Out 30-Hour Work Week by [David Z. Morris / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## David Z. Morris / Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 29, 2016 2:12 PM CUT  Amazon corporate office building in Sunnyvale, California Amazon corporate office building in Sunnyvale, CaliforniaLisa Werner—Moment Editorial/Getty Images by [David Z. Morris / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## David Z. Morris / Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 29, 2016 2:12 PM CUT The Washington Post [reports](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/08/26/amazon-is-piloting-teams-with-a-30-hour-work-week/ "undefined") that [Amazon](http://fortune.com/fortune500/amazoncom-18/ "undefined") is launching technical teams whose workers will only clock in for 30 hours a week. While plenty of employees at Amazon are part-time, the novelty here is that the teams are entirely made up of workers on a reduced schedule, including managers. The teams’ members will receive the same benefits as full-time employees, and 75% of a 40-hour workers’ pay. The stated goal of the program is “to create a work environment that is tailored to a reduced schedule and still fosters success and career growth.” The initiative was accompanied by an event last week titled Reinventing the Work-Life Ratio for Tech Talent. That reference to work-life balance highlights the possibility that that the testing of a lower-intensity schedule comes partly in answer to a damaging 2015 [New York Times investigation](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-in-a-bruising-workplace.html?%5Fr=1 "undefined") into Amazon’s work culture. That report depicted the company as a challenging, even merciless place to work. But this is about more than just one company’s culture. The idea of a work week of 30 hours or less also speaks to several large-scale issues around technology and employment. More and more voices are arguing that automation is [lowering overall ](http://fortune.com/2015/02/25/5-jobs-that-robots-already-are-taking/ "undefined")[labor demand](http://fortune.com/2016/07/27/american-jobs-quality-wages/ "undefined") in the economy, a trend that will only increase. A 30 hour work week is seen by some as a way to more evenly distribute the shrinking pool of labor among workers, and reduce the potential of automation to increase [income inequality](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harlan-green/its-time-for-the-30-hour%5Fb%5F7696674.html "undefined"). Mexican magnate Carlos Slim has gone further, arguing that a reduced work week will [increase innovation](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2014/07/30/why-a-global-3-day-workweek-would-be-good-for-innovation/ "undefined"), and mesh better with shifts in aging patterns. Amazon told the Post that it has no plans to change its work-week on a companywide basis, but its program could encourage other companies to offer something similar. It could also have a positive effect on womens’ employment and careers by making it easier to balance work with home and childcare obligations—since men in heterosexual marriages still often [aren’t doing their share](http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/03/some-theories-on-why-men-dont-do-as-many-household-tasks/273834/ "undefined") [on that front](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/31/upshot/millennial-men-find-work-and-family-hard-to-balance.html "undefined"). _This_ [_article_](http://fortune.com/2016/08/28/amazon-tests-30-hour-work-week/ "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_Fortune.com_](http://fortune.com "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4470544/amazon-tests-30-hour-work-week/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4470544/amazon-tests-30-hour-work-week/"},"headline":"Amazon Tests Out 30-Hour Work Week","datePublished":"2016-08-29T14:12:54.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T00:15:17.458Z","description":"The move comes after concerns about the company's workplace culture","url":"https://time.com/4470544/amazon-tests-30-hour-work-week/","keywords":["Companies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc1359286081f83b7/6988a3f9656a3fa7b5bcce78/amazon-30-hour-workweeks.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"David Z. 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