Amazon announced a massive hiring initiative on Monday, but the process for new employees looks a little different now. On Tuesday, photos from Amazon hiring events began to circulate online, showing how the company is handling its onboarding processes during the coronavirus pandemic. Precautions against the virus make for a bleak sight.
Amazon announced on Monday that it intends to hire 100,000 new employees to help meet the rising demands of online shoppers, who are more intent than ever on avoiding retail stores. The company needs new faces in its warehouses, but it also needs to avoid infections where possible. “I’m at this Amazon hiring event and the staff member just came out LOADED [with] Clorox sanitizer wipes, purell, paper towels, latex gloves [and a] sneeze guard, one person tweeted on Tuesday.
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Bruhhhhhh…. I’m at this amazon hiring event and the staff member just came out LOADED Clorox sanitizer wipes, purell, paper towels, latex gloves sneeze guard… after laughter I yell out CORONA VIRUS!!!!! In my cardi b voice🤣🤣🤣😭😭🤭👀 #COVID19 #BuenaPark #ThisIsRidiculous pic.twitter.com/E91nJYh5Gl
— Zip2Ubeeyotch (@WESTbayBZ82) March 17, 2020
Their picture showed candidates for the job standing far apart from each other, as recommended by experts. The Amazon employee responsible for hiring them sat at a table against the wall wearing latex gloves, with wipes and paper towels gathered before him.
“After laughter I yell out ‘CORONA VIRUS!!!!! in my Cardi B voice,” the Twitter user added. They included several laughing emojis and the hashtag “this is ridiculous.”
In its announcement on Monday, Amazon stated that it is well-placed to deliver “critical supplies directly to the doorsteps of people who need them” during the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. is now following the advice of other parts of the world by practicing social distancing — avoiding crowds and remaining at home as much as possible to mitigate the spread of the virus. In that scenario, Amazon helps many avoid shopping.
Still, for those within the warehouses, social distancing will be extremely difficult if not impossible. Amazon did not explain how it intends to keep people and products from becoming infected, but said only that it is trying to do so.
“Health and safety are a top priority with all of our roles and sites. We continue to consult with medical and health experts, and take all recommended precautions in our buildings and stores to keep people healthy. We’ve taken measures to promote social distancing in the workplace and taken on enhanced and frequent cleaning, to name just a few,” the statement read.
On Tuesday, Amazon added another announcement that it would not accept shipments of “non-essential” products from third-party vendors for the next two and a half weeks, as it attempts to restock on high-priority items.
As always, consult the CDC’s website for the latest information on the coronavirus pandemic and the best practicies for mitigating its spread.
