Coronavirus: Whole Foods chief asks healthy workers to donate holiday pay to sick colleagues – The Independent
The chief of Whole Foods has reportedly asked US shop workers to “donate” their holiday pay to colleagues who fall ill to coronavirus.
On Wednesday, CEO John Mackey sent an email to employees with a list of options for those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Vice.
Among his six suggestions was for US workers to contribute their paid time off (PTO) to colleagues facing hospital treatment or family deaths.
“Team Members who have a medical emergency or death in their immediate family can receive donated PTO hours, not only from Team Members in their own location, but also from Team Members across the country,” Mr Mackey wrote in an email, which was obtained by the news organisation.
Mr Mackey said in the email any employee who tests positive for the virus would be offered two weeks paid time off, as well as unlimited unpaid time off for the remainder of March.
The suggestion to donate to colleagues angered employees of the company, which is a subsidiary of Amazon, the world’s most valuable company.
“Considering [Whole Foods] is a billion-dollar company, I think it is selfish asking the retail workers to figure it out within themselves,” a Whole Foods cashier told Vice.
“The response from [Whole Foods and Amazon] has been quite poor, being a front end cashier I feel like we are the most exposed to the situation.”
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The usually busy Royal Mile in Edinburgh is empty as people stay away from public areas amid the coronavirus outbreak on 13 March
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A hand sanitising station set up outside Cheltenham Racecourse during day four of the Cheltenham Festival on 13 March
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People wearing protective face masks walk across London Bridge on 11 March
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The usually busy Royal Mile in Edinburgh is empty as people stay away from public areas amid the coronavirus outbreak on 13 March
Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS
2/15
Ho bart’s Amusement Arcade in Westward Ho!, Devon is offering toilet roll and soap as prizes in grabber machines
Rob Braddick/SWNS
3/15
An empty platform at Farringdon Station in London the morning after the Prime Minister said that Covid-19 “is the worst public health crisis for a generation”
PA
4/15
Shopkeepers Asiyah Javed and husband Jawad from Day Today Express, in Stenhousemuir, Falkirk are giving away facemasks, antibacterial hand wash and cleaning wipes to the elderly in a bid to stop the spread of Coronavirus
Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS
5/15
A usually busy street in Cambridge is empty as people stay away from public areas amid the coronavirus outbreak on 2 March
James Linsell-Clark/SWNS
6/15
A hand sanitiser dispenser is seen inside the stadium during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on 8 March
Getty
7/15
Maaya Indian Kitchen in Milton Keynes is offerig customers a free roll of toilet paper with every takeaway order
SWNS
8/15
Oliver Cooper[L], was sent home from school for selling spurts of handsanitiser to fellow pupils at 50p a time. He poses with mum Jenny Tompkins by their home in Leeds
Ashley Pemberton/SWNS
9/15
Empty toilet paper shelves at a supermarket in London on 12 March
EPA
10/15
A member of the public is swabbed at a drive through Coronavirus testing site set up in a car park in Wolverhampton
Getty
11/15
A passenger wears a protective face mask as she travels on a bus in the City of London
AFP/Getty
12/15
A Southampton fan wears a face mask before the match against Newcastle United on 7 March
Reuters
13/15
A loudspeaker placed in grounds of St Mary’s Catholic Church in Broughattin, Dundalk, County Louth ahead of funeral mass later this morning. The loudspeaker has been placed in the grounds after the Catholic Archdiocese said that funerals and weddings should not exceed 100 attendees within the church building
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A hand sanitising station set up outside Cheltenham Racecourse during day four of the Cheltenham Festival on 13 March
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People wearing protective face masks walk across London Bridge on 11 March
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An Amazon spokesperson told The Independent: “This is a longstanding Whole Foods Market programme from prior to the acquisition.
“Amazon is matching all funds to the Whole Foods Fund since the acquisition to support the team needs during this unprecedented event, and all Whole Foods team members have access to the two-weeks paid time off related to coronavirus that was announced for all Amazon employees.”
The US on Friday intensified its response to the pandemic when Donald Trump declared a national emergency over the growing outbreak of Covid-19, which has killed thousands of people globally.
The first human trials of a vaccine have been announced by scientists.
The Independent has contacted Whole Foods for comment.