Amazon Offers Paid Sick Leave to All Employees Affected by Coronavirus--Update
March 11 2020 - 4:40PM
Dow Jones News
By Dana Mattioli
Amazon.com Inc. is planning to offer paid sick leave to all
workers, including part-time warehouse staff, affected by the
spreading novel coronavirus as companies scramble to minimize the
economic hardship of the pandemic on their employees.
Last week, Amazon eased its policy for unpaid time off in
response to the coronavirus outbreak, giving workers the option to
take an unlimited amount of unpaid time off through the end of
March without being penalized for it. The change affected employees
who work in offices, stores, warehouses and any other location that
requires a physical presence.
As the virus, known as Covid-19, spreads, technology companies,
retailers and ride-hailing companies have had to grapple with how
to protect their employees while still providing the services
customers need, especially at a time when some people are avoiding
shopping in stores and taking mass transit.
The biggest ride-sharing and food-delivery companies in the U.S.
are in talks to set up a fund to compensate drivers affected by the
novel coronavirus, a step that highlights the pressure they face to
provide workers with broader employment protections. Ride-hailing
firms Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc., as well as
food-delivery startup DoorDash Inc., have individually said they
would compensate drivers who have caught the virus or been told to
quarantine for up to two weeks of missed pay.
Amazon has a diverse workplace of engineers, marketers and
advertising executives with desk jobs who can relatively easily
work from home. But, it also has a large contingent of warehouse
workers who need to report to fulfillment centers. Amazon has
directed its employees in locations such as its Seattle
headquarters, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and San Francisco
to work from home until the end of March. But, for warehouse
workers packing and shipping orders for customers, working from
home isn't an option.
Some Amazon workers had complained about the company's response
to the virus. An online petition circulating on social media makes
several requests of Amazon, including offering paid leave, allowing
workers to take frequent breaks to wash their hands and for the
company to push lawmakers to pass new laws concerning sick leave.
Some workers said they can't afford to stay home under the unpaid
leave policy.
"As Amazon employees, we are concerned about the company's
current lack of protective measures," the petition says. "While
Amazon has made some limited coronavirus accommodations, it needs a
comprehensive plan to ensure the safety of all of its workers and
the larger public."
A warehouse worker on Wednesday described his workplace as
quieter than usual, and said that colleagues were using the relaxed
policy for sick days.
As offices shut down, companies have had to wrestle with what to
do with support staff at those offices.
"We will continue to pay all hourly employees that support our
offices in Seattle, Bellevue, the Bay Area, New York, New Jersey
and Massachusetts -- from food service, to security guards to
janitorial staff -- during the time our employees are asked to work
from home," an Amazon spokeswoman said.
Amazon also plans to announce a $25 million relief fund for its
delivery partners and drivers, according to a person familiar with
the matter.
Other tech companies have announced measures to help workers
affected by the virus. Microsoft Corp. and Google, which have
recommended some of their U.S. employees work from home, have said
they would continue to pay hourly workers whose jobs are hit by
those moves.
Walmart Inc. and Home Depot Inc., which have thousands of stores
and warehouses shipping items to customers, have expanded their
time off policies for hourly workers. Home Depot is continuing pay
for associates tested positive with the coronavirus or in
high-and-medium risk situations where they recently traveled to a
risky geography or require quarantine for 14 days.
Walmart, the country's largest private employer, said Tuesday it
is providing paid time off for hourly workers diagnosed with the
coronavirus or subject to mandatory quarantine. Workers that feel
sick can miss work without penalty, the company said, as it aims to
keep sick workers at home. The retailer confirmed Monday that a
worker in its Cynthiana, Ky., store had tested positive for
Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Best Buy Co.
and Lowe's Cos. announced similar changes to their attendance
policies Wednesday.
--Sebastian Herrera and Sarah Nassauer contributed to this
article.
Write to Dana Mattioli at dana.mattioli@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 11, 2020 16:25 ET (20:25 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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