New Report Claims ASOS Factory Workers Are Treated Like ‘Slaves’ and ‘Machines’

Photo: @asos/Instagram
Photo: @asos/Instagram

If you’ve ever ordered an item from the fast fashion giant ASOS, the thought “How do they do it?” has probably passed through your head. It manages to stay on top of every emerging trend, churning out new styles like a vending machine, and to deliver anywhere in the world within four days.

Unfortunately, the answer to that question is pretty bleak. BuzzFeed News has released a new report alleging that employees of ASOS’s warehouse in Grimethorpe, England, are treated like “robots” and “slaves.”

Through a series of interviews with former and current ASOS staff members, BuzzFeed has uncovered evidence of unrealistic and strict hourly requirements, managers encouraging employees not to take bathroom or water breaks at certain times, unfair termination due to health issues, last-minute shift cancellations without pay, and intrusive security and monitoring.

One of the former employees interviewed, Joanne Goddard, claims she was terminated after she had a panic attack in her position as a “picker”— retrieving orders from different places within the warehouse’s 26 miles of aisles — and asked to be reassigned to packing. The reason she had panic attacks? Fear of missing her hourly targets. Apparently, according to a recording of the meeting Goddard had with her manager, if you fall back just a bit, you receive warnings and meetings with HR, and ultimately, you’re likely to get fired.

Another employee was sacked for taking four days off after a collapse at work resulted in hospitalization.

“Management treat people like slaves,” said one current worker. Employees said team leaders recommend that workers not use the toilet or drink water in the last working hour “because the last hour is very important for performance. Even 30 seconds is very important for the company.”

Another alleged: “You are literally treated like a machine.”

BuzzFeed notes that ratings and reviews on job sites like Indeed.com reflect these complaints, with one star being the most frequent rating for ASOS warehouse jobs.

The Grimethorpe site, near the town of Barnsley, also has rules prohibiting employees from bringing cellphones into the office. Other items staff cannot bring to work include makeup and jewelry. “There is a ZERO TOLERANCE policy in place for the above items entering the warehouse,” one staff notice seen by BuzzFeed News reads. “If you are found to be entering the warehouse with any of these items, your assignment will be TERMINATED.”

ASOS has refuted these allegations and other concerns the BuzzFeed article has brought to light.

“There have been a number of allegations about the working conditions at our warehouse in Barnsley that are inaccurate, misleading or based on out-of-date information,” a representative for the brand told Vogue U.K. “This upsets us, but more importantly, it upsets the people who work there. Those who seek to portray the warehouse as an awful place to work never mention the positive work we do in conjunction with XPO, like the 50 different learning and development programs offered, free mental health support and awareness training, subsidised food in a newly renovated canteen, or the £3 million spent on a cooling system to keep the temperature down during the summer. Ultimately, ASOS and XPO both care deeply about our people and that’s why we have chosen to partner with them.”

In response to specific allegations regarding “zero-hours” contract work — agreements that do not guarantee a minimum number of hours — ASOS stated: “As we have now said on the record several times before — we don’t do zero-hours contracts, people can take toilet and water breaks whenever they want, and we pay above minimum wage.”

ASOS isn’t the only company being called out for poor working conditions. H&M and Gap were recently accused of underpaying and overworking 14-year-old girls in their Myanmar factories.

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