‘The girl that wore her AirPods passed away’: Amazon worker uses RayBan Metas for music now that her earbuds are banned
A woman’s unique workaround to listening to music on the job has sparked discussion around Amazon’s policies for warehouse employees.
On July 8, Zyah (@itzzz.zyah) posted a TikTok of her wearing Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. The high-tech pair of sunglasses boasts audiovisual capabilities. The overlay text reads “When Amazon say no AirPods so them RayBan Metas finally come in handy.”
The video has received 1.2 million views.
Zyah elaborates in the video's caption. “Lmaoooo I swear this the main thing I wear these joints for is work to listen to music, she says. She adds: "Im not wearning no beanie in a 100 degree warehouse to cover some airpods.”
Following years of reports about poor working conditions at Amazon, the conversation around allowing workers to wear AirPods to help get through long shifts is not new.
“I'll take any write up that comes my way,” wrote one comment under Zyah’s video. “I'm not doing 12 hours without a buffer.”
On TikTok, numerous videos have gone viral over the past several years complaining about these policies and providing alternative options.
Is Amazon's AirPod ban about safety?
Some commenters say that safety might be a concern. “Typically it's for safety in warehouse so you hear someone yelling when a 100lb box is about to fall,” wrote one comment.
Another user echoed that sentiment, claiming that somebody passed away from a mishap involving AirPods at Amazon. “They say no AirPods.. & the girl that worked at Amazon dropped her AirPod near a machine and passed away cause her hair got stuck.”
While the truth of that comment is not confirmed, deaths and injuries at Amazon warehouses are not unprecedented.
That said, many comments have highlighted that Amazon reportedly has new policies that allow specifically-approved headphones.
“They sent out a newsletter [to employees] in the [Amazon] A to Z app and it was posted all over our facility that we can now wear Amazon approved headphones starting July 3rd,” claimed one user.
“The location i work at we have headphones but the ones Amazon said we can have,” wrote another.
While Amazon has yet to respond to comment, it was previously reported in October that the company was testing out policies that allowed workers to wear specifically approved headphones.
@itzzz.zyah Lmaoooo I swear this the main thing I wear these joints for is work to listen to music cause Im not wearning no beanie in a 100 degree warehouse to cover some airpods #fyp #dmv #foryoupage #work #overnight #raybanmetas ♬ Nobody's Gonna Know - Thirstpro
A subreddit for Amazon Delivery stations provided more insight. Redditors clarified that there were two separate options for approved headphones, although the said policy was only site-specific as of 5 months ago.
Zyah has not yet responded to a request for comment.
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