Why does this part-time job at Amazon list working hours as 84 hours per week?

According to Statista, the average American works 34.4 hours per week. It's considered normal for workers to work seven hours a day, five days a week, and take a one-hour lunch break. If they're particularly dedicated, they might work six days a week or do overtime to work 12 hours a day. But this job posting at Amazon takes things to a whole other level.

In a TikTok that had garnered 919,800 views as of Sunday, Johnnaiya (@j.kayla2) shared what was purported to be a screenshot of a landing page for part-time shifts at Amazon. The page defines the shifts offered as “part-time,” and to be fair, the position is only four days per week. But the most outrageous part is that each of those shifts is listed as 21 hours long. That means employees will be working a total of 84-hour weeks (as also stated on the landing page).

A caption can be seen beneath the video that reads: “Amazon flash I'm not applying for this.” In the video's description, the TikToker added: “I was going to apply for a different position. I think that's a typo, I hope.”

The audience was stunned

“PART TIME????” asked one person in the comments. “Ion wants to know what full time is.”

“84 hours a week and part time, all in one job, is crazy,” wrote another.

However, some commentators encouraged Johnnaiya to “go for it” and “make the big bucks.” But for the most part, there was confusion.

“You need to stop placing same-day delivery orders,” joked another.

“They call it part-time so they don't have to give you the benefits and perks of a full-time employee,” another commenter speculated.

Johnnaiya did not immediately respond to the Daily Dot's request for comment via TikTok comment.

Is it legal to work 84-hour weeks?

You might think that working 84-hour weeks is illegal. But oddly enough, that's not the case. According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, there is no upper limit to the amount of time an adult must work. The law does Mention that those who work more than 40 hours per week should receive an overtime premium of 1.5%.

But is this financial reward worth the burnout? According to a recent SHRM survey, 44% of employees feel burned out at work, while 45% say they feel emotionally drained. Another Deloitte survey also found that 77% of employees have experienced burnout in their current job.

If burnout rates are so high among people who work an average of 34.4 hours per week, burnout rates among people who work 2.5 times as much must be astronomically high. So it may be legal, but whether it's ethical is a whole other question.

Amazon did not immediately respond to The Daily Dot's request for comment via email.

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