Amazon's Warehouse Workers Get Same Parental Leave Benefits as Corporate Staff

Amazon.com's relatively low-paid warehouse workers get the same parental leave benefits as the company’s highly paid software developers and executives — a rarity for U.S. hourly workers. Amazon’s move to revamp its parental leave benefits, which began in 2015, coincided with a wider wave of perk enhancements among booming U.S. technology companies concerned about retaining talented employees, especially women, who are underrepresented in tech.

Total Retail's Take: Amazon is in the midst of a hiring spree as we approach the busy fourth quarter holiday season, and it's trying to make its lower-paying warehouse positions as attractive to candidates as possible. Amazon's need for warehouse workers (and soon more in-store associates as the company grows its offline presence) is only going to continue to grow as more consumers choose to shop online. With that growth in staff comes the pressure to offer those workers the same generous benefits that its corporate brethren enjoy. Like any business, Amazon is hoping for less employee turnover, which is especially prevalent in the retail industry. To accomplish that, the online retailer is hoping to lure workers with attractive benefits and the promise of full-time work. The pay isn't great and the work is hard, but at least the effort is being made.