Smile like you mean it if you're working for Amazon

Outlook

A press release arrives from Amazon saying it has created 700 permanent roles at its fulfilment centres – from where orders are sent – in 2015. It is preparing to add thousands more to their number to help cope with the Christmas rush.

The chances are they’ll be wearing its smile logo across their faces too. That’s not due to the wages – the starting level is well short of the voluntary living wage (although not George Osborne’s cynically renamed official one) – or the other benefits it touts.

No, they’ll be smiling because if the reports about the working culture at the company are even close to the truth, they’d be unwise to be seen doing anything else. Still, the same goes for their stressed-out managers. At least Amazon doesn’t discriminate based on the colour of your collar. There’s something to smile about.