Amazon is loosening its attendance policy for certain employees amid the spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, reports CNBC.
The company notified employees that it is relaxing the policy during March and will not count any unpaid time off for employees who "work from an office, store, fulfillment center, delivery station or sort center," according to the TV business news channel. It also won't assign attendance points — part of the company's system for monitoring employee infractions — if these employees cannot come to work.
Amazon told CNBC the change is to ensure employees do not receive repercussions if they need to stay home because they are sick.
"We continue to work closely with public and private medical experts to ensure we are taking the right precautions and have implemented a series of preventative health measures for employees, delivery and transportation partners at our sites around the world," a company spokesperson told the channel.
The spokesperson said Amazon has also boosted cleaning at its sites and asked workers to defer nonessential travel, among other steps taken amid the coronavirus outbreak. According to CNBC, Amazon also earlier this month told employees in Seattle and Bellevue, Wash., and the San Francisco Bay area to work from home if possible.
Read the full report here.
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