Is overtime work a must in the cross-border e-commerce industry? No future without overtime?

Recently, a research report stated that Amazon uses tools such as navigation software, item scanners, wristbands, thermal imagers, security cameras and video recording equipment to comprehensively monitor its employees and use big data to prevent stores from forming unions.

My brother-in-law increases production by monitoring his employees. For cross-border e-commerce practitioners, there is another way, which is to work overtime.

Speaking of overtime, overtime is common in the cross-border e-commerce industry today, and staying up late has become the norm. Some sellers said that entering the cross-border e-commerce industry means they have to work overtime by default.

So how do you view overtime work? And why do you work overtime?

Has overtime become a common phenomenon in the cross-border e-commerce industry?

A seller on the forum posted: Regarding the topic of #How do you view commuting to work# , I saw the views of a well-known media in the cross-border e-commerce industry on Weibo. Overall, I think it has some merits, but the last sentence makes me uncomfortable. Am I too narrow-minded?

Therefore, this post once again sparked a discussion on #跨交電電業對過過實業# ↓↓↓

It can be seen that everyone can clearly realize that efficiency and performance are paramount. This is the truth, but what is the actual situation?

It seems that while everyone is rationally analyzing, resisting and complaining, they also accept the established unspoken rule of overtime work...

▲ The picture comes from the logistics group

▲ The picture comes from the seller communication group

“Isn’t overtime a normal operation?”

“Isn’t it normal to work overtime in operations?”

Both logistics companies and cross-border sellers seem to be accustomed to working overtime.

Many Amazon sellers complain: they have only been in the industry for 3 years, but have 5 years of work experience, and the remaining 2 years were spent on overtime.

Why do you have to work overtime?

As for why they have to work overtime, the editor interviewed some sellers and found the following reasons.

01

Workload Overload

"Every day before it's time to get off work, I know I have to work overtime."

"The ads haven't been adjusted yet, and the listings haven't been optimized. Although I have tried very hard to improve my work efficiency, there is no day that I can complete all my daily tasks within the prescribed working hours."

"My boss asked me to distribute goods every day. I had to distribute more than 40 products a day to meet the work quota. I could not distribute the quantity given by my boss during normal working hours. The longer I work, the more SKUs I distribute, the more orders I can get and the more profits I can make. What matters is the speed of listing and the quantity of goods distributed.

02

Time difference problem, no choice

"It's very simple, it's a time difference issue. When we get off work, the foreigners are shopping. If we want to get more orders, we must reply to customers in time and understand their needs. Our company is small and we have few people, so some people must work the night shift."

"Sometimes customers come in at 7 or 8 o'clock and send you an inquiry. No matter how capable you are, you have to work overtime to finish it."

▲ The picture comes from the seller communication group

03

Mandatory overtime

"My previous company required me to work XX hours overtime every month. When I had nothing to do, they asked me to postpone meetings to the evening. These were not necessary meetings, but meetings to supplement my knowledge of Amazon, which lasted only 1-2 hours."

▲ Announcement from a company

04

Voluntary overtime

"I work overtime voluntarily, but that doesn't mean I accept meaningless, forced overtime." In addition to the above situations, many sellers said that they work overtime voluntarily.

One seller said: A company that pays more and doesn't require overtime is a good company. But another seller immediately retorted: How can you work in sales without overtime, unless you only want the basic salary?

  ▲ The picture comes from the seller communication group

When doing cross-border e-commerce, everyone believes that performance is paramount. Without performance, there is no right not to work overtime, and good performance seems to be achieved only through overtime.

When asked what the sellers’ purpose of working overtime is, without exception, they all say it’s for performance commissions and better promotions.

But some sellers said: Just going to work has consumed all my energy. I used to go running, but now I haven't exercised for a long time...

In general, everyone has different views on overtime. I hope everyone can arrange work reasonably, ensure performance, and try to avoid overtime.

▼ Finally, let's do a small survey on overtime. Do all cross-border e-commerce practitioners work overtime? What is the average length of time? Do you have any complaints or suggestions about overtime? Welcome to leave a message in the comment area~