Yes, so much of this just comes down to what management feels like doing / not doing. I've been to major national warehouses that offer normal working hours (9 AM to 7 PM) and a relatively tolerable environment (even some daycare options) while still being massively profitable. Still, even at these better warehouses, any failures or problems mean staying past your normal shift time until the work is done.

I was actually just discussing Amazon with my wife from the consumer side of this. I have Amazon Prime, but everything I just ordered online around Black Friday is intended for Christmas. I really don't need it delivered in two days, certainly not at the human cost we read about. However, I don't see any real (other than moral) incentive not to order it as a Prime shipment, and that is the default option.

I wonder what impact it would have if Amazon were to not set 'Prime' as the default shipping option, or offer discounts on non-prime shipments for Prime customers.