“Next Level Dystopian Sh*t”: Amazon Rolls Out Portable Panic Booth For Warehouse Employees To Collect Themselves

After years of reports of Amazon warehouse employees being forced to urinate in bottles, forego medical care, and work through injuries – causing hundreds to launch petitions and revolt, the online retail giant has come up with a solution…

…a special sensory deprivation booth that allows stressed out employees to collect themselves before heading back out to the floor.

Known simply as the “ZenBooth,” the new apparatus, according to a video released by the company on Wednesday, is an “interactive kiosk where you can navigate through a library of mental health and mindful practices to recharge that internal battery.” –daily dot

Amazon’s Leila Brown used her background in sports medicine and her passion in alternative therapies to create a space where our employees could focus on their mental well-being. https://t.co/bvk2bw9Lke pic.twitter.com/cEQhsTH0Od

— Amazon News (@amazonnews) May 26, 2021

The “ZenBooth” is part of Amazon’s WorkingWell program, which allows employees to “recharge and reenergize” with a series of “physical and mental activities, wellness exercises, and healthy eating support.”

The panic booth features a small fan, some plants, and a library of meditation videos. Hopefully it features a toilet too.

(Did we mention most COVID-19 transmission occurs via aerosolized particles hanging in the air, particularly in poorly ventilated spaces?)

As the daily dot notes, the announcement received lots of pushback from Twitter users.

“why not just improve working conditions?” said one user.

“Or you could pay your employees well, not treat them like garbage, and accept unionization,” added another.

“This is some next level dystopian shit. Maybe just pay people more and let them have bathroom breaks,” read yet another tweet.

This is some next level dystopian shit. Maybe just pay people more and let them have bathroom breaks

— katie 🕰 👍 (@Ah_occ_o) May 27, 2021

pic.twitter.com/5OlN0Nmw75

— Jeremy, #1 Ethan Winters Fan (@Jorrpen) May 27, 2021

At least this is a step up from their now-abandoned, patented ‘worker cages.’