No matter how demanding a job can be, companies understand the importance of grief and time for our loved ones, that is why Amazon allows for some time for employees to take some time off when a family member passes away.
If you are wondering about the details of this sort of situation then you’ve come to the right place to find a bit more peace and comfort.
Contents showAs of 2021 Amazon allows their customers to have three days of paid bereavement leave when a family member passes away. This applies to both full-time and part-time employees, however, some of the policies in subsidiaries such as Whole Foods may be different. Some aspects of the bereavement leave such as the days allowed may vary depending on the state.
While it is a fairly straightforward answer you probably have some more questions about this, so if you want to learn more about bereavement leave then keep reading.
The family members that Amazon considers immediate are:
Yes, a manager needs to approve your bereavement leave, to do so Amazon is going to need some proof and sometimes documentation so that your request is granted without any problems.
Your request could also be rejected if the manager or a supervisor decides that your family member is not close enough or an immediate family member, which of course also applies to friends.
Yes, employees can take additional time off by arranging with an Amazon supervisor and get up to 4 extra days, but they won’t be paid like the first three days.
As mentioned earlier, some companies follow different rules and policies, even if it’s a subsidiary.
Whole Foods doesn’t allow its employees to take bereavement leave in the United States. This works a bit different in Canada, as they allow for 3 days of unpaid leave.
Sometimes, laws at a specific state force the company to allow the employees to have a few days of bereavement leave. This happens in Oregon, where the employees are able to request bereavement leave for up to two weeks without pay.
This doesn’t include a lot of part-time workers since in order to be eligible for bereavement leave in Oregon the employee needs to work a minimum of 25 hours a week and have been employed for at least 180 days.
You only have 3 days available every year for bereavement leave and you cannot carry them over to the next year if you don’t use those days off.
However, some employees take unused sick leave days which are offered by the employer, that way you have a bit more time.
There are a few situations that allow Amazon employees to take some days off, sometimes they are paid and others, they only get the days off.
These are the occasions that may allow them to take days off.
Paid Time Off
Amazon gives its employees a few hours of time off that they can use as long as they give 24 hours notice.
Sick Leave
Amazon lets you have 15 days of sick leave per year, however, it may vary depending on your position.
Leaves of Absence
According to Amazon, these are all the situations in which there are emergency or medical reasons:
In general, leaves of absence are available to eligible employees for time off due to a qualifying medical condition, or that of a qualified family member. This can include the birth or adoption of a new child, personal reasons, the death of a member of your immediate family, jury/witness duty, military reasons, or other reasons provided under various laws. Most leaves are unpaid, except for some pregnancy and parental leaves, and some portions of jury/witness, military, and bereavement leaves. All leaves have various length limits, and some leave types may require certification and/or the approval of your manager or Human Resources.
Yes, they can ask for proof of death if they think it’s necessary, although it’s not legally specified. Employers may want to have some sort of proof when a staff member requests their bereavement leave.
There are a few ways to show them that what the employees are saying is true, although in many cases they won’t ask too much, since it’s most needed when the employee seems a little suspicious.
Some of the documents an employee can show to their manager or employer are an obituary, something related to the funeral such as a funeral program, time of death, and the relationship to the person deceased.
Since there is no official policy for this situation, anything that can serve as evidence will work, if the employer really needs it.
Conclusion…
Employees have limited options when it comes to taking days off, however, Amazon understands that there is a time for work and a time for grief, which is why they will allow 3 days of paid days off if a close relative passes away and will give extra not paid days off if needed.
Also keep in mind that there are other occasions when the need for days off arises including childbirth, sick leave, and more.
While there may be some differences in terms of policies depending on your position and place of work, if an employee needs some time off, they will probably be able to come to an understanding with the manager as long as it follows the rules of Amazon’s policy.
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