Amazon to Pay $500M in Employee Bonuses

Amazon.com announced earlier this week that it will provide pandemic bonuses totaling more than $500 million to front-line workers, Progressive Grocer reported. These bonuses are to show appreciation for employees meeting boosts in demand from online shoppers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Only employees who worked for Amazon through the month of June are eligible.

Full-time Amazon, Whole Foods Market and Delivery Service Partner drivers will receive a $500 bonus, and part-time drivers will receive a $250 bonus. All front-line Amazon and Whole Foods Market leaders will receive a $1,000 bonus, all Delivery Service Partner owners will receive a $3,000 bonus, and each Amazon Flex driver who worked more than 10 hours in June will receive a $150 bonus.

A few months ago Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said the e-commerce retailer would spend $4 billion on COVID-related expenses. He said this included investments in personal protective equipment, enhanced cleaning of Amazon facilities, higher wages for hourly teams, and more.

Total Retail's Take: In a time when there's a lot of uncertainty in the world, and in particular in the retail industry, it's uplifting to see that some front-line employees will be rewarded for their hard work during the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of retailers are currently struggling financially as a result of the pandemic, but it's important for those that can afford it (i.e., Amazon) to recognize the sacrifices employees made for the company. In that same vein, Progressive Grocer also reported that Lowe’s announced a new round of bonuses for its hourly retail workers. The home improvement retailer said its pandemic pay, bonus and community initiatives have totaled close to $450 million. With all of the bad news that has swept the industry over the past few months, it's nice to see hard-working retail employees being recognized for their efforts during a scary time for our country and the world.