Amazon offering $100 to new employees for proof of Covid-19 vaccination as company set to bring on 75,000

Amazon is gearing up to bring on 75,000 new employees, and one of the incentives they will be offering new hires is a $100 bonus payment for proof that the worker has been vaccinated against Covid-19.

With its less than stellar reputation on employee welfare, Amazon is resorting to offering perks to workers as the US job market struggles to fill positions. 

With more and more people turning to e-commerce sites to do their shopping during the pandemic, it is one of many stores looking to quickly hire fulfillment and logistics employees.

Besides the $100 for proof of vaccination, new Amazon employees will also receive another $1,000 as a new hire.

It also plans to increase worker wages by between .50 cents and $3 an hour. The new positions being filled will pay an average of $17 an hour, it said. Companies like McDonald’s and Chipotle have also announced plans to begin increasing their hourly wages. 

Many companies have also been working to incentivize employees to get vaccinated as pandemic-era restrictions ease. Dollar General, Target, Best Buy, and others have offered their employees the chance to either get vaccinated during their work hours or to receive paid time off to get their doses. 

Direct bonus payments – similar to Amazon’s strategy – have also been offered by companies like grocery store chain Kroger, which is also offering a one-time $100 payment to fully vaccinated staff.

Amazon began implementing on-site vaccination clinics at warehouses in various states last month to encourage employees to get inoculated. 

Even government officials have been getting into the vaccine-promotion game, with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine making waves this week after announcing the state was offering a chance to win $1 million or a college scholarship in special lotteries if they get their Covid-19 vaccine.

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