March was a tough month for all businesses. COVID-19 reached its peak in many countries, badly damaging business and wreaking havoc on global marketplaces. While Amazon recovered its initial losses thanks to a lucky move by Jeff Bezos, it is still struggling to deal with the coronavirus aftermath. Some aftermath it is! It’s still continuing…
Initially Amazon responded by opening 100,000 warehouses to facilitate the shipping process. It also stopped shipping non-essential items, sticking mainly to essential products, and it developed plans for its workers, paying them double wage and giving them paid sick leave if they feel unwell. Then Bezos announced a $25 million fund which Amazon had set aside to cover financial losses of both employees and small businesses, for example those in Seattle.
That being said, other problems loomed behind the scenes. Just before March Madness ended, CNBC reported that some of Amazon’s workers had been striking in protest to Amazon not meeting essential steps in ensuring the safety of its workers. The strike was led by Amazon employee Chris Smalls, who was later on fired by Amazon, a move which received a lot of harsh criticism. All of this came after workers tested positive in many US Amazon warehouses, which halted the normal working process. Complaints were heard that Amazon was not doing its job well when it came to protecting its workers.
At a time of uncertainty, Amazon, like other businesses, is trying to keep a balance between what is morally correct and what is not. It is certainly a tough decision. On the one hand, it cannot simply shut down its warehouses because it would take massive financial losses to do so. On the other hand, Amazon is faced with the tough decision of how to respond to workers like Chris Smalls, who are protesting its inefficiency in dealing with the situation.
Which move would be the right one?
Smalls and the other workers did the strike because a worker from the same facility had tested positive for COVID-19. Instead of being sent home, they were called back to work after Amazon disinfected the entire facility even though workers claim it did not do it well enough. A strike would also mean a large number of people gathering together, which is exactly the opposite of what health officials are telling people to do. In the facilities, workers keep a safe distance while wearing protective gear (which some say is not enough) while during a strike they would be violating social distancing rules, which is why Smalls got fired in the first place.
Everything seems to a be a double-edged sword these days and even Amazon is struggling to find higher moral ground. It is certainly doing its part in fighting the virus and providing financial support. Bezos recently announced cooperation with the WHO and is seemingly sparing no expensive in helping businesses. In the warehouses, however, things seem to be getting out of control. What’s the next step? No ones knows!