Like father, like son at Amazon centre in Knottingley

Paul Hutchinson, who works in transportation operations management, is preparing to celebrate Father’s Day this weekend with one of his colleagues, who is also his son.

Paul, who has worked at Amazon for just under two years, is one of dozens of fathers working at Amazon across the UK who work alongside their children.

As Father’s Day 2022 approaches, the father and son team have spoken about how their family bond ties them together both inside and outside work.

Paul works alongside his son Jamie, who also works in the Knottingley transportation operations management team, having both joined Amazon around the same time and have worked together ever since.

Beforehand, Paul was a mobile engineer working in public buildings and Jamie worked in a local café in a part-time role.

Paul joined Amazon after being made redundant from his previous role during Covid-19, while Jamie joined the company following a recommendation from his dad.

Their close working relationship is something the pair really enjoy.

Paul said: “It’s great working with Jamie and I enjoy seeing him around the building during the day. The added bonus is that we also travel to and from work together, so we share the driving and the costs of commuting to work.”

Jamie echoes his dad’s thoughts when it comes to working together. “It’s great to have the support I have from my dad at home in the workplace too. I’m trying to progress my career with Amazon at the moment and my dad has been really supportive.”

Paul and Jamie work together to process packages for customers across the UK, but what’s the one thing Paul always delivers for Jamie?

“He always delivers me to work!” Jamie laughs. “Before I passed my driving test, he always took me to work so I’d have to say that’s something he delivers.”

For any family members who work together, or are thinking about working together, Paul has some advice. “Jamie and I get on well and we’ve never really had any friction, so for us it’s really easy and we have no issues.

"I think that’s key – you’ve got to be able to get on together! If you’ve got a good relationship with your family member, then you’ll never have any problems working together.”

Working together is something that Paul and Jamie clearly enjoy, but what else do they enjoy about working at Amazon?

Jamie said: “The team here is fantastic. The people are great, and the variety of work means that we get a real overview of Amazon as a business and how it works. That’s something I enjoy a lot – working on a team that plays a big part in how the company runs.”

Speaking ahead of Father’s Day, Jamie reveals some of his plans for Paul. “Because the weather around Father’s Day is usually quite good, we’ll have a barbecue and invite everyone in the family round for the day. It’s great to get everyone together.”

Amazon Knottingley Senior Operations Manager, Mark Grey, said: “Paul is a valued member of our team at Amazon in Knottingley and it’s great that he gets to work alongside his son.

"I hope Jamie has some special plans for Father’s Day and Paul enjoys his day.”