Amazon is the latest company in the tech world asking its employees to work from home.
The recommendation, made by the Seattle-based company on Thursday, March 12, is designed to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, formally known as COVID-19.
“We continue to work closely with public and private medical experts to ensure we are taking the right precautions as the situation continues to evolve,” Amazon said in a statement. “As a result, we are now recommending that all of our employees globally who are able to work from home do so through the end of March.”
Amazon has already asked staff at its Seattle and San Francisco offices to work from home, but Thursday’s announcement extends this request to its office-based employees in more than 30 countries. Warehouse and delivery workers will, however, continue as usual, as their respective roles require them to be on site.
Keen to show that it’s doing what it can to protect not only its office staff but also its warehouse and delivery workers, Amazon said on Wednesday that any employee diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed into quarantine will receive up to two weeks of pay, adding that employees paid by the hour who are sick but not diagnosed with the virus will also be eligible for unpaid time off until at least the end of this month.
“The health and safety of our employees and contractors around the world continues to be our top priority as we face the challenges associated with COVID-19,” Amazon said.
Other tech companies are also implementing similar work-from-home measures in a bid to tackle the virus, which is continuing to spread around the world.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, for example, earlier this week told the company’s global workforce to work from home if possible, while Google, Microsoft, Twitter, and Facebook, among others, have also put similar measures in place.
Has your boss asked you to work from home over the coming weeks? Digital Trends offers some useful tips on how to do it properly, highlighting the importance of developing a routine, creating a dedicated work space, taking meaningful breaks, and making sure to sign off at the end of the day.
