Amazon is relaxing its measures vis-à-vis its employees. The American e-commerce giant allows personal smartphones in its warehouses for security reasons. The move comes as the United States has been ravaged by dozens of deadly tornadoes and the fifth wave of the global COVID-19 epidemic begins.
The smartphone has become an essential component of our daily lives. It is used to work, to have fun, to get information, to communicate, to save memories, even to pay for shopping. But, for almost two years, the “historical” role of the smartphone, that is to say call and send messages, resumed great importance. The global COVID-19 outbreak has forced families and friends to respect social distancing in order to curb the spread of the virus.
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However, the smartphone is not welcome everywhere. Some companies believe that their employees should not have their smartphones in the workplace. Several reasons can lead to this. Distraction. Information leak. In some countries, like the United States, labor laws allow companies to force employees to leave their smartphones (or other products) in the locker room or in their cars. This is particularly the case with Amazon.
Amazon employees can keep their smartphones in warehouses
Indeed, the e-commerce giant has long banned the personal smartphones of employees who work in warehouses. But this measure was lifted in 2020 when the coronavirus epidemic hit the United States. The reason: employees want to be able to stay in constant contact with their loved ones and be able to react more quickly. Two years later, as we learn to live with the virus, Amazon wanted to reinstate the ban in January 2022. Which seems astonishing. But working conditions in Amazon warehouses have regularly been the subject of investigation.
But this weekend Amazon gives up. The firm announces that the ban has been pushed back ” until further notice “. The information was first announced to the affected employees by email. Then it was confirmed to our colleagues at Bloomberg by a spokesperson. This decision follows the request of many warehouse workers who wish to keep their smartphones for safety reasons at work. They want to be able to call for help if an accident happens.
Employees want to stay informed without interference from Amazon
This fear is not trivial. Dozens of tornadoes have ravaged the United States since the beginning of December and more than a hundred victims are to be deplored. Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Illinois were the hardest hit. In this last state, six Amazon workers died in Edwardsville warehouse collapse. According to Bloomberg, Amazon employees want to be able to be alerted to a risk “without interference” from their employer, as the smartphone can mean the difference between someone’s life and death.
Source: Bloomberg
