Returning to the workforce two years after having her son, Paige was looking for a job that would offer career progression. She’d mainly done factory work before, most recently at a meatworks, so Amazon was a big change.
One of the main things Paige was blown away by when she joined the Amazon team, was how different the culture around safety was.
“I’d worked in meatworks before,” she says. “It’s really dangerous, it’s hardcore. One of the biggest things I noticed at Amazon was the focus on safety. While you’d expect safety to be a big focus at a meatworks, at Amazon safety is an obsession!"
“At Amazon my manager straight away told me, ‘Even if you get a paper cut, I want to know about it.’ The safety of the team is always the number one priority.”
After she started in Stow, Paige quickly impressed her manager with her performance, and was given opportunities to grow her career.
“How I see it, you have what they call a process path,” Paige explains.
“You start at either Stow, Pick or Pack, and they acknowledge the top performers. So, if you're performing well within your path, they will identify it and they do call you out and they start giving you more opportunities.”
Paige is now a Process Assistant and her focus and commitment to workplace safety was noticed early on in the role. Before long she was nominated to the Safety Committee thanks to her willingness to speak up about safety on behalf of her colleagues.
“I know what it's like to be shy and not speak up about anything because I am a shy person!” she explains.
“But I’m really comfortable with the team and I know that Amazon will listen – it’s a safe space to speak up - so I don’t mind being that voice for everyone.”
Becoming a parent gave Paige more awareness of the importance of personal safety.
“Now I always think safety doesn't end at work,” she says.
“Before I became a mum, I never really thought about safety. But really, that’s what I’m doing with my son everyday – I’m keeping him safe aren’t I?
At Amazon the safety of our team is our top priority. We are proud to create a safe and positive work environment for our people and we are always looking for ways to improve safety measures in our buildings.
