Amazon to Test 30-Hour Work Week With Teams Entirely Made up of Part-Time Workers

Amazon will soon launch a program comprised solely of part-time employees to test 30-hour work weeks.

The company intends on creating technical teams that will consist entirely of part-time workers, including the managers. In doing so, Amazon says it wants to "create a work environment that is tailored to a reduced schedule and still fosters success and career growth."

Part-time employees will receive the same benefits as employees scheduled to work 40 hours every week and will be paid 75 percent of what full-time workers are paid, the Washington Post reported. An Amazon spokesperson told the Post the company does not have plans to alter the 40-hour work week across the board.

The 30-hour work week has several advantages. Kate Kennedy, with the Society for Human Resource Management, told USA Today the hours would be particularly appealing to workers with children in school.

Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute in New York, told USA Today Amazon's initiative will make other employers pay attention. Galinsky told the paper part-time employment is not seen as "real work," but the 30-hour work week could legitimize the idea that professionals can be committed to their jobs and yet not work full time.

Amazon's announcement comes a year after a New York Times report that described the company's work environment as extremely competitive. Amazon issued a response, saying the article left out information that told a different story.

An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment further.

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