Amazon extends work from home till June 2021 as COVID-19 cases continue to surge in US

In its latest pushback against reopening of businesses in the US, Amazon Inc. has announced that all its corporate employees can work from home till June 2021. The US, which is facing a new uptick in COVID-19 cases, has allowed employees to resume offices. However, Amazon, with over 19,000 employees testing positive since January opted for the “safer” option, extending the work from home.

“We continue to prioritize the health of our employees and follow local government guidance. Employees who work in a role that can effectively be done from home are welcome to do so until June 30, 2021", an Amazon spokeswoman said in an emailed statement on Ocotober 20, adding the guidance is applicable globally.

Read: Microsoft To Expand Its Work From Home Policy, Make It Permanent For Some Staff

Read: Microsoft To Let Employees Work From Home Permanently Even After COVID-19 Pandemic

Dropbox allows Work From Home permanently

Previously, the Seattle based company had mandated work from home till January 2021. Parallelly, Dropbox announced that it would permanently allow all of its employees to work from a remote location. The US-based cloud-storage company took the decision after an internal survey which showed that employees are more focused at home and just as engaged as before. In the survey, most of the employees said that they were able to be productive at home and don’t want to return to a rigid five-day in-office workweek. 

However, the survey highlighted that back-to-back video conferences, constant notifications, and isolation from peers could be overwhelming. Employees reportedly said that company culture suffers because of no in-person interaction and risk of miscommunication remains higher. They also believe that starting new projects with multiple collaborators is harder while working from a remote location. 

Read: Google Announces Hangouts Upgrades, To Be Replaced By Google Chats

Read: Dropbox Allows Employees To Work From Home Permanently As 'benefits Outweigh Negatives'

Image credits: AP