Amazon bereavement policy? (How many days, proofs, etc!)
No matter how daunting the work, the company understands the importance of grief and time to our loved ones, which is why Amazon allows employees some time off when family members die.
If you want to know the details of this situation, you are in the right place to find more peace and comfort.
What is Amazon’s bereavement policy?
Starting in 2021, Amazon will allow its customers three days of paid bereavement leave in the event of a family member’s death. This applies to both full-time and part-time employees, however, certain policies for subsidiaries such as Whole Foods may vary. Some aspects of bereavement leave, such as the number of days allowed, may vary from state to state.
While this is a fairly simple answer, you may have more questions about it, so if you want to learn more about bereavement leave, read on.
Who is considered an immediate family member of Amazon’s bereavement leave?
Amazon considers immediate family members to be:
- mother and father
- companion
- child
- brother and sister
- grandparents
- next of kin of the employee’s spouse
Does a bereavement have to be approved?
Yes, the manager needs to approve your bereavement leave, for this, Amazon needs some proof and sometimes documents so that your request can be approved without any issues.
Your request may also be denied if the manager or supervisor does not think your family members or immediate family members are close enough, this of course also applies to friends.
Can an employee spend more than three days?
Yes, employees can get up to 4 additional days off by scheduling additional time off with an Amazon supervisor, but they won’t get paid like the first 3 days.
What is the Whole Foods Bereavement Policy?
As mentioned, some companies follow different rules and policies, even if it is a subsidiary.
Whole Foods does not allow its employees to take bereavement leave in the United States. This is a bit different in Canada as they allow 3 days of unpaid leave.
Sometimes state-specific laws force companies to allow employees to take several days of bereavement leave. This happened in Oregon, where employees can claim up to two weeks of unpaid bereavement leave.
This does not include many part-time workers, because in order to qualify for bereavement leave in Oregon, employees need to work at least 25 hours per week and at least 180 days.
How many times can an employee request bereavement?
You only have 3 days of bereavement leave available each year, and if you don’t use those days, you won’t be able to carry it over to the next year.
However, some employees take unused sick leave provided by the employer so that you have more time.
Aside from bereavement, when can employees request time off at Amazon?
In some cases, Amazon employees can take a few days off, sometimes they are paid, while others, they just take time off.
These occasions may give them time off.
Paid leave
Amazon gives employees a few hours of vacation, which they can use as long as they give 24 hours’ notice.
sick leave
Amazon allows you 15 days of sick leave per year, however, this may vary depending on your position.
absent leaves
According to Amazon, these are all cases with an emergency or medical reason:
Generally, eligible employees can take time off for eligible medical conditions or eligible family members. This may include the birth or adoption of a new child, personal reasons, the death of your immediate family member, jury/witness duty, military reasons, or various other reasons under the law. Most leave is unpaid, with the exception of some pregnancy and parental leave, and certain portions of jury/witness, military and bereavement leave. All vacations have different length limits, and certain vacation types may require certification and/or approval from your manager or Human Resources.
Can an employer require a death certificate?
Yes, they can ask for a death certificate if they deem it necessary, although it is not required by law. When a worker requests bereavement leave, the employer may want to obtain some sort of certification.
There are a few ways to show them that what the employee is saying is true, although in many cases they won’t ask for much, as this is most needed when the employee seems a little suspicious.
Some of the documents an employee can present to their manager or employer are obituaries, funeral-related things such as funeral plans, time of death, and relationship to the deceased.
Since there is no official policy for this situation, anything that can be used as evidence will work if the employer really wants it.
Want to learn more about working at Amazon? Click here to find out if Amazon employees get discounts, if Amazon employees get free Prime, and if you get paid for your personal time off at Amazon.
in conclusion…
Employees have limited options when it comes to time off, however, Amazon understands that there are time to work and there is time to grieve, which is why they will allow 3 days of paid time off if a next of kin dies, and additional unpaid time off if needed .
Also keep in mind that there are other situations where time off is required, including childbirth, sick leave, etc.
While policy aspects may vary depending on your position and location, if employees need to take time off, they may come to an understanding with their managers as long as they follow Amazon’s policy rules.
