Amazon to Hold Off Warehouse Phone Ban ‘Until Further Notice’

Some Amazon warehouse employees received messages from the e-commerce large Friday that mobile phones would be permitted “until further discover,” which a spokeswoman for the organization verified Saturday. 

For yrs, Amazon prohibited personnel from acquiring their phones on warehouse flooring and needed them to leave them in their cars or in lockers in the vicinity of split rooms. The rule was quickly comfortable all through the pandemic, and Amazon announced before this calendar year it would resume in January.

Subscribe to Crain’s for $3.25 a week

The fatal collapse of the Edwardsville, Illinois, warehouse close to St. Louis amplified worries amongst its blue-collar workforce about the return of the mobile phone ban in perform places. A lot of the warehouse was lowered to rubble when a string of tornadoes ripped through six states, leaving a trail of destruction that stretched a lot more than 200 miles.

Amazon employees claimed they want entry to data this kind of as updates on possibly lethal climate activities through their smartphones — without the need of interference from Amazon. The phones can also help them talk with crisis responders or liked kinds if they are trapped, they mentioned.

Amazon said it is analyzing the collapse and on the lookout for methods to strengthen basic safety methods for staff.

Employers can avoid staff from owning their phones though performing. They can pose a security risk, particularly in industrial functions, if personnel are distracted. And some businesses assume smartphones with cameras can compromise delicate technology and information and facts. But lots of workers in the electronic age see their smartphones as a lifeline, specially in unexpected emergencies.

Subscribe to Crain’s for $3.25 a week