In 2016 Coalville, a market town in North West Leicestershire bordering Charnwood Forest, became home to BHX2, an Amazon fulfilment centre. Named after nearby Birmingham Airport, BHX2 is the size of approximately 15 football pitches, allowing for storage of larger items such as TVs, home appliances and kayaks.
A few months after the opening of BHX2, Satbinder Gill joined the team as a fulfilment centre packer responsible for packing orders and sending them off to be delivered to customers.
"Starting work at Amazon has transformed my life in many ways; I have formed great friendships with interesting and like-minded people and the active nature of the job, coupled with a better diet, has helped me recover from diabetes,” said Satbinder.
As part of a programme called ‘I Found the Right Place’ Amazon invited employees from fulfilment centres across the UK to explain what they like best about working at Amazon and why it is the right place for them. More than 800 employees from across the UK and dozens from each site put pen to paper.
“Amazon encourages its employees to make suggestions on how to improve things, having offered advice that has been taken on board, I feel like a valued member of the team. I also absolutely love Amazon’s shift pattern of four days on and three days off, it gives me plenty of time with my family and to work in the garden and cook!", wrote Satbinder in his entry.
All of the entries were anonymised and the best entry from each fulfilment centre was chosen. The chosen employees were invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to Seattle, U.S., to explore the Amazon head office and see where it all started.
During the five-day trip to Seattle, Satbinder and Amazon colleagues from sites across the UK were shown around the city and enjoyed a trip up the Space Needle. They also went on a tour of the Amazon campus and the robotics fulfilment centre in Kent, Washington, where they met Amazon’s chief scientist.
“Visiting the Amazon head office was fantastic and I loved seeing Seattle. I also enjoyed meeting my colleagues from other fulfilment centres on the trip, they are an excellent group of people,” said Satbinder.
Speaking to anyone considering a career at Amazon, Satbinder said “since beginning my role at Amazon, my confidence has increased and I have been given the opportunity to develop my skills set along the way. I feel positive that I will be able to develop my career further at Amazon.”
