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Amazon handed out cash and free cars to its warehouse workers who already received their doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. It was reported that the e-commerce and tech firm gave away $100,000 cash bonuses this month for several vaccinated employees.
According to CNBC, four Amazon warehouse workers and one Whole Foods staff were given cars worth as much as $40,000, and this was announced on Monday. Last week, three workers stationed in the company’s warehouse and some Whole Foods employees received cash awards of $100,000.
All of these employees showed proof of vaccination, and Amazon posted the lucky individuals’ names and prizes on its Amazon Vest Life Instagram account. This was also done to encourage more employees to get vaccinated since there will be more giveaways until next month.
The firm is handing out these huge bonuses as part of its running sweepstakes. The “Max Your Vax” sweepstake was announced earlier this month, and this is offering 18 prizes in all. Amazon said the total value of the prizes is almost $2 million as it is giving away two $500,000 cash, six cash prizes of $100,000, five new vehicles, and five fully-paid luxury vacation packages worth $12,000 with a week of paid time off.
“We strongly believe that the best way to protect our frontline employees and communities from Covid-19 is through vaccinations,” Kelly Nantel, Amazon’s spokesperson, said in an email to Bloomberg. “And we are proud to have hosted more than 1,100 on-site vaccination events to help make getting a vaccination as easy as possible for our employees and their household members.”
The Amazon sweepstake for its fully vaccinated warehouse and frontline workers will run until Oct. 21. The newly announced winners are the second batch, and there is still almost a month until the contest concludes.
Finally, Amazon believes vaccination is vital for all employees as it provides protection not just for the workers themselves but for the communities. And while it has not required its workers to get vaccinated, it started the sweepstake event to encourage them to do so. The company already held over 1,500 on-site vaccination events for its workers and their families.
