(Bloomberg) —
Amazon.com Inc. is asking warehouse workers who have stayed away from work during the pandemic to return for scheduled shifts beginning May 1, or request a leave of absence.
As Amazon worked to contain outbreaks of Covid-19 cases within its ranks, it said workers who weren’t comfortable coming in could take unpaid time off without penalty through the end of that month. Amazon also offered hundreds of thousands of hourly warehouse staffers an additional $2 an hour in hazard pay. The Seattle-based company extended those offers through the end of April.
In a blog post published Friday, Amazon said it would extend the raise through May 16 but made no mention of unlimited unpaid time off. Amazon said it was “providing flexibility with leave of absence options, including expanding the policy to cover Covid-19 circumstances, such as high-risk individuals or school closures.”
An Amazon spokeswoman didn’t immediately offer more details about changes to the leave policies, or which employees were eligible. Amazon has previously said that employees diagnosed with Covid-19, or quarantined because of exposure to someone with the disease, were eligible for two weeks of sick pay.
The company has said a majority of workers continue to show up for work. But in interviews, employees at warehouses across the U.S. said many colleagues were staying home, either out of fear of catching or spreading the disease, or to care for children unable to attend school. Some had hoped to continue to stay away until the pandemic receded and businesses reopen.
Amazon has kept its operations functioning in part with new hires and temporary staff, many plucked from the swelling ranks of the unemployed as non-essential businesses shut their doors and fire workers. The company said earlier this month it had hired an additional 100,000 employees, and would seek to fill 75,000 additional positions in its logistics network.
The company also said on Friday it would extend its additional overtime compensation through mid-May. The cost of the raises the company first rolled out in March will approach $700 million, Amazon said.
Business Insider reported earlier this week that Amazon was telling some employees that its unpaid time off policy would lapse at the end of April.
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