“Investor Brief. Amazon.com, Inc. and the COVID-19 Pandemic”, 26 April 2020

Amazon’s response to Covid-19

… Amazon announced that all employees … will be eligible to receive up to two-weeks of paid leave. However … workers … have reported confusion …  and difficulty in accessing paid leave…

What investors can do

1. … [I]nternational norms and frameworks: Under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, [minority shareholders] in companies that cause or contribute to adverse human rights impacts have a responsibility to mitigate the adverse impacts…
2. Managing operational, regulatory, and reputational risks: … Investors should satisfy themselves that … Amazon is rigorously implementing best practice work health and safety law and guidance …

Workforce best practices for COVID-19

• Workers’ Rights - … engage in dialogue with trade unions and workers and their representatives ….
• Independent Expertise - … hire … occupational safety and health experts to advise … on … prevention of infection in …
• Workplace Infection Control Plan - With the participation of impacted workers … develop a written infectious disease control plan…
• Personal Protective Equipment - … provide adequate personal protective equipment…
• Sanitization and Tracing - … regularly sanitize workplaces …  Where workers are infected or suspected of infection … inform other employees who have been in contact…
• Social Distancing – … separate workstations … and adopt social distancing…
• Paid Leave – … Paid sick leave should not be contingent on COVID-19 testing results.
• Health Insurance – …  employers should provide affordable health insurance to all employees …
• Contingent Workers – …ensure that … [contingent] receive all the same protections and benefits … [as] full-time company employees.
•  Supply Chains – … prompt payments to suppliers … and encourage and support … suppliers to adopt best practices for protecting their workforces …