'I don't want to be there but I need the income': Worried Amazon workers say the company's sick leave policy is failing to protect them
- Business Insider spoke to eleven Amazon workers about how the company is coping with keeping them safe during the coronavirus outbreak.
- Amazon has brought in new policies to deal with the pandemic, including two weeks paid sick leave and unlimited unpaid time off in an effort to stop potentially contagious or vulnerable employees from coming in.
- Amazon workers told Business Insider the guidelines for claiming sick leave are hazy, and others said to claim it you need an official doctor's note or diagnosis - which can be difficult to obtain.
- One worker who quarantined themselves after coming into contact with a coronavirus-positive person was told they did not qualify for paid time off.
- Other workers said that the unlimited unpaid time off was not financially possible, and one said they were served with a "job abandonment notice" while taking it.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
As the coronavirus pandemic has spread across the globe and forced millions of people into lockdown, retail giant Amazon faces a huge surge in demand.
It's having to juggle that spike with the health of its warehouse workers, who now find themselves on the frontlines packing supplies for a global population largely stuck indoors.
Amazon's demand for the first three months of 2020 is similar to demand during peak holiday season. An employee tally from one delivery center estimated that it is processing between 10% and 40% more packages than usual for the time of year, the Wall Street Journal reported. One analyst estimated a 23% increase overall for sales growth for the first quarter of 2020.
To cope with the surging demand, Amazon announced it was going on a hiring spree, soliciting 100,000 new workers.
There is a tension between Amazon rushing to pack its warehouses with employees and keep them working to quota, and implementing adequate protections to keep them safe from the virus.
That has led the firm to bring in new policies that were hitherto unthinkable.
The first is that workers can now take an unlimited amount of unpaid time off (UPT).
The second is that anyone diagnosed with coronavirus or who was quarantined would receive up to two weeks of paid leave.
Both policies are an extraordinary shift by Amazon's standards.
Workers have previously told Business Insider that using more than the allotted unpaid time off can result in instant dismissal. Workers have said they normally get 20 hours of unpaid time off every three months, a maximum of 80 hours in a year.
Although the new policies should offer breathing room, workers say they are struggling to take advantage of them.
Business Insider spoke to eleven Amazon employees across the US about the process for applying for the new allowance of two weeks of paid sick leave.
The workers spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing retaliation from the company. One cited the case of Christian Smalls, a warehouse worker from Staten Island, New York who was fired after organizing a protest of the warehouse's response to finding coronavirus-positive employees.
Many of the workers we spoke to did not know what the process of applying for sick pay actually involved, and some said it was difficult to find out from HR departments.
One worker said she had emailed HR and been promised an answer, but got no response.
Another said the information had been on the company's employee portal, called "A to Z", but was later removed.
"They had it posted in the A to Z app, but it's gone now along with any COVID-19 news," the person said.
Amazon's sick pay policy requires a doctor's note, but coronavirus tests are scarce
Business Insider viewed a piece of official Amazon guidance on how to claim money for sick pay.
It said employees need to follow three steps if they are diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed into quarantine:
- Stay home and do not come to work.
- Report all absences via A to Z if available, or contact your manager or HR.
- Call Disability Leave services. (Amazon describes its Disability Leave services as a team in its operations dedicated to "support[ing] our rapidly growing employee population as they navigate various life events").
Others said that to qualify, you need official documentation - a doctor's note or quarantine order - to claim it.
"I have heard from other employees that it can be difficult," one employee said. This person recounted how a colleague had been placed in quarantine after a family member was diagnosed, but because their name wasn't on the official order their claim was initially denied. Business Insider has not directly verified this incident.
In a statement to Business Insider, Amazon confirmed that employees who are not placed under quarantine by the company itself need documentation to back up their application for sick leave.
These documents can take the form of medical certification, positive test results, or a communication from the employee's medical provider (Amazon said it needs the employee's consent for the last option).
Other employees noted that it can be difficult to get an official coronavirus diagnosis.
Tests are still scarce and in many cases, people will place themselves in quarantine rather than visit the doctor for a diagnosis and risk infecting other people.
One employee who placed themselves in quarantine after discovering they had come into contact with someone who tested positive for the virus told Business Insider they were unable to claim the two weeks of sick pay.
"[HR] said we had to actually be diagnosed with the coronavirus and have a written letter from our doctor to receive our pay," they said. "After multiple emails to HR asking why I could not get my sick pay, I finally received one back. They told me to apply for the Amazon relief fund."
Amazon announced the establishment of the Amazon Relief Fund in March with an initial $25 million investment and opened the fund up to outside donations.
Amazon said the fund would be "focused on supporting our independent delivery service partners and their drivers, Amazon Flex participants, and seasonal employees under financial distress during this challenging time."
The worker - a full-time Amazon warehouse employee rather than a contracted seasonal worker - said the fund is far from accessible.
"My loan officer at my bank asked for less information when I bought my house!" they said. "It's supposed to be a relief fund for anyone affected by the pandemic, but they want your life story and written statements from every bill you have, including your landlord."
An FAQ on the Amazon Relief Fund website states: "For a COVID-19 event, you will need a note from your healthcare provider, a government health official, or directly from Amazon stating that you are unable to work for five or more consecutive days due to a COVID-19 diagnosis or exposure. Grants cannot be made without the required documentation."
One worker said when they tried to take unlimited unpaid time off, they were served with a 'job abandonment notice'
Amazon's implementation of its unpaid time off, which should now allow workers to take unlimited amounts, also appears to be patchy.
One employee showed Business Insider emails they received from HR after taking a week of unpaid time off, serving her with a "job abandonment notice."
The worker said they had a call with HR. "I reminded them Amazon has a new policy of unlimited unpaid time off. But they insisted I need to show up to work at least [...] twice a week," they said.
An Amazon spokeswoman said this was not in line with company policy.
"All Amazon employees diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed into quarantine by Amazon, a doctor or a government agency, receive two weeks of full pay," she said. "We moved quickly to make paid time off possible for our more than 750,000 employees globally, and will work on a case-by-case basis with anyone who needs it."
In future, the company may consider self-reporting if employees are unable to get their hands on medical certification.
"I don't want to be there, but I need the income"
Many Amazon workers cannot afford to take unlimited amounts of unpaid time off. The minimum wage for Amazon employees is $15 per hour, so for someone working regular 40-hour weeks, this means $2,400 per month.
In an attempt to incentivize people to work, Amazon introduced a wage increase of $2 per hour during April. This does not apply for workers taking paid sick leave, an Amazon spokeswoman confirmed to Business Insider. The company also announced in late March that it is raising overtime pay for employees who work more than 40 hours per week to double their usual rate, so there is more incentive to come in.
It's a substantial boost, financially. If a worker now puts in a 60-hour week, they would earn $1,360, compared to the $600 they would make working a regular 40-hour week on $15 per hour.
For some, the money doesn't counteract the increased risk.
"I was grateful at first for the unlimited UPT and $2 increase, but as things got worse and the virus was spreading more and more, it didn't matter. I don't want to be there, but I need the income," said one worker who cares for an elderly relative. "The stress of bringing it home to him makes me physically ill."
Another worker who has a medical condition which renders them high-risk is taking unpaid time off, but is holding out hope that Amazon will introduce a policy that will give employees money while being able to stay home to prevent the risk of infection, rather than paying out once workers get sick.
"I can't continue to put people that I love at risk [...] I am feeling like I'm forced to make a decision whether I have to go to work or pay my bills," they said. "I'm kind of like hoping that somehow, because this has never happened before, that they come up with some kind of solution."
While Amazon has sent out texts to many warehouse workers alerting them to confirmed coronavirus cases in the facilities where they work, this employee said that they had received no such correspondence while taking time off, despite the fact their warehouse has multiple confirmed cases.
They added that the only way workers taking time off found out was by keeping up to date with the warehouse's unofficial Facebook page, where their coworkers share news. Amazon's spokeswoman denied this, saying once a site has a confirmed coronavirus case it communicates with all of its staff.
The worker contacted HR to enquire about the confirmed cases, warning to know when the coronavirus-positive individuals had been working and where. They said they were met with a boilerplate response that didn't answer their questions.
Amazon has started taking temperature checks and handing out masks
Alongside new policies on time off, Amazon has introduced new rules that impact daily life at the warehouses.
Business Insider previously reported that the company had got rid of security checks at the gates, distributed antibacterial products, and implemented a 3-foot distancing rule inside its warehouses.
Gradually the company has brought in further measures. Last week the Amazon announced it would bring in temperature checks and start distributing masks to its employees. Business Insider obtained a leaked copy of a memo that was sent round warehouse staff advising them to wear masks:
"We recommend everyone wears a facemask of some kind covering their nose and mouth from arrival through departure of your shift. We will be handing out masks for everyone or you may bring your own, including fabric masks. If you need to obtain a mask at the site, please ask a manager or designated "Hand-out POC" at the start of your shift. The mask should be used by one person for the shift and not be shared. You must also know how to use it and dispose of it safely. Details will be posted around the site."
One employee shared a text from their warehouse, received on April 8, confirming a case of COVID-19 among its staff.
The text said if anyone is found to have been in close contact with the individual, Amazon "will proactively reach out to them individually to advise them of their possible exposure to COVID-19."
It's not clear from the text how the company ascertains this, but one employee said that workers are supposed to receive two weeks paid sick leave if they are shown on CCTV footage as being within six feet of an infected colleague for 15 or more minutes.
"We have taken a number of measures to keep us all safe and healthy, including MANDATORY social distancing of 6ft with daily audits, NEW thermal temperature checks for ANYONE entering the building, staggered shifts, and extended breaks," the text added.
Multiple workers told Business Insider that social distancing is functionally impossible inside their warehouses and that antibacterial wipes and gel are frequently missing, sometimes stolen.
"We understand that you may be nervous about coming to work. Individuals will not be penalized for any absences. And, if you feel sick, please STAY home," the text went on.
One worker said the CCTV monitoring system wasn't an effective way of tracking COVID-19 cases and contacts inside warehouses. This person said there were 20 confirmed cases in their facility and, after the eighth confirmed case, texts employees receive simply state there have been "additional" cases.
This person added that they had contact with one of the confirmed cases in their department. Amazon didn't alert them to this until 12 days after the fact.
"This person was stocking supplies at everyone's work station possibly infecting them," they said.
The worker added that only two other workers in their department had been quarantined. "To look through two weeks of video and only quarantine two people seems unrealistic," they said.
Amazon faces a reckoning from its workers, who are striking in protest
As the coronavirus crisis drags on, Amazon is likely to see increasing unrest from its workers.
Workers in Staten Island and Detroit have staged walkouts, and in Pennsylvania 15 workers immediately walked off the job after discovering a colleague had tested positive.
Meanwhile, the company released a promotional video of Jeff Bezos visiting a warehouse near Dallas, Texas, having his temperature checked and thanking the workers.
Do you work for Amazon? Got a tip? Contact this reporter at ihamilton@businessinsider.com or iahamilton@protonmail.com.
