Amazon is postponing the return of employees to its corporate offices by about four months, as the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus has led to an uptick of infections.
The ecommerce giant had been expecting most employees in the U.S. and other countries to come back to office locations the week of Sept. 7, 2021. Under its revised plan, Amazon has set Jan. 3, 2022, as its official return-to-work date.
While many companies — including Google, Facebook, Netflix, Disney and Microsoft — are requiring workers returning office locations to be vaccinated, Amazon has not adopted that policy.
“As we continue to closely watch conditions related to COVID-19, we are adjusting our guidance for corporate employees in the U.S. and other countries where we had previously anticipated our employees would begin coming in regularly the week of Sept. 7,” Amazon head of HR Beth Galetti wrote in an email to employees, the Seattle Times reported. “We are now extending this date to Jan. 3, 2022.”
Amazon’s updated office reopening plans were previously reported by GeekWire.