On Saturday, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos sent a memo to all Amazon employees addressing their concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, CNBC reports.
The four-page memo comes seemingly in response to calls for Amazon to better protect warehouse workers after Amazon warehouses saw their first confirmed case of the virus, CNET reports.
“This isn’t business as usual, and it’s a time of great stress and uncertainty. It’s also a moment in time when the work we’re doing is its most critical,” the memo reads.
The memo, available to the public on Amazon’s public blog, summarizes some of the recent changes Amazon has made to adapt to the outbreak, including changes to how they stock warehouses and their plan to hire 100,000 more employees.
It also adds new insight into Bezos’ additional plans for the company, saying they’re continuing to add more workplace measures to try and meet social distancing guidelines.
The company is also waiting on purchase orders for “millions of face masks” that cannot be filled due to a shortage.
Additionally, Amazon will be increasing overtime pay for all Amazon workers from 1.5 pay to double pay, after already raising hourly wages from $15 to $17, The Hill reports.
Reading the memo also gives a window into the multibillionaire’s personal state. It is evident that Bezos is taking the pandemic seriously, according to Inc.
For example, near the close of the memo he shared that his “own time and thinking is now wholly focused on COVID-19 and how Amazon can best play its role.”
Bezos says he predicts things are going to get worse before they get better.