Amazon extends work-from-home for corporate employees to 2021

Amazon is extending its work-from-home policy through January 2021 for corporate employees, a spokesperson told The Hill on Wednesday.

“We continue to prioritize the health of our employees and follow local government guidance. Employees who work in a role that can effectively be done from home are welcome to do so until January 8,” they said. 

“We have invested significant funds and resources to keep those who choose to come to the office safe through physical distancing, deep cleaning, temperature checks, and by providing face coverings and hand sanitizer,” they added.

The decision mirrors the timelines of other major tech companies that have decided to postpone bringing white-collar workers back to offices.

Google and Facebook have extended their work-from-home policies through the end of 2020, while Jack Dorsey has announced employees at Twitter and Square will be able to work from home indefinitely.

Amazon’s warehouse workers are not included in the extended policy.

Those workers who have risked exposure to the coronavirus throughout the pandemic have been critical of the company’s public health response.

Several warehouse workers have died of COVID-19, with some locations experiencing outbreaks of dozens of cases without shutting down.