Amazon Warehouses Are Safer, But Returning Workers Remain Spooked
Starting May 1, the company will stop offering no-questions-asked unpaid leave, and employees will have to formally apply for time off.
In the breakroom at an Amazon.com Inc. warehouse in Hazle Township, Pennsylvania, a PowerPoint presentation playing on repeat shows people in hazmat suits making their way through the giant facility, spraying disinfectant. The video is followed by an explanation in English and Spanish. Nearby, televisions broadcast messages of thanks from employees and customers.
So goes the new normal at the world’s largest online retailer. A vital lifeline for Americans sheltering at home during the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon is trying to limit the disease’s spread within its workforce. At the same time, the company is waging a public-relations campaign to reassure the employees picking, packing and shipping products that it’s safe to show up even as some of their colleagues continue to get sick and others complain about working conditions.