Amazon has extended its work from home regime for staff until at least October 2.
According to Reuters reporting, “Employees who work in a role that can effectively be done from home are welcome to do so until at least October 2,” an Amazon spokesman said in an emailed statement on Friday, adding it was applicable to such roles globally. The statement did not specify how much of the company’s overall workforce that covered and which roles
The statement also spoke about how the company is investing funds in safety measures for employees who wish to come to the office “through physical distancing, deep cleaning, temperature checks, and the availability of face coverings and hand sanitizer.
GeekWire reports that much of the Amazon focus in the midst of the outbreak has been on improving safeguards in its distribution network and retail stores. Workers in dozens of Amazon fulfillment centers have been diagnosed with the disease. Amazon has declined to disclose the total numbers. The company says it has procured 100 million face masks for workers, and is conducting daily temperature checks for employees at its operations sites and retail stores, including Whole Foods Market, among other initiatives. The online shopping giant has also faced criticism for the conditions that workers must endure during the pandemic, even responding with firing corporate employees like Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, who criticised its policies on climate change, publicly condemned the conditions at its warehouses, and organised protests against working conditions.
Amazon’s global headquarters is located in Seattle in Washington, which is one of the hardest hit US states.
