Amazon is backing off from its plans to revoke the ban on cell phones in its warehouses and allow its workers to keep their devices with them during work.
The decision to reverse follows the reappearance of Coronavirus with a more contagious strain, the Omicron. Also, the tornado which struck the Warehouse last week resulted in the death of six workers, which saw the employees at the Warehouse expressing their desire to stay connected in times of emergencies and get real-time information.
A spokeswoman for Amazon confirmed Saturday that many employees received messages from the company that mobile phones would be allowed at the workplace until further notice.
Amazon for years had prohibited its employees from keeping their cell phones with them, and they either had to leave them in their vehicles or lockers near the break rooms. During the Pandemic, the rules were relaxed temporarily, and it was supposed to be back in place in January 2022.
The Tornado that caused the collapse of the Warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, near St. Louis, increased the concerns of the blue collared workforce about the return of the ban on mobile phones in the work areas. The tornado, which had ripped through six states, reduced the facility to rubble and left behind more than 200 miles of destructions.
Amazon workers want to access their mobile phones at work so that information’s on weather updates and can receive potentially deadly weather without any interference from the company. Mobile phones can also help communicate with family or emergency responders if trapped.
Amazon has said that they were examining the collapse and looking at ways to improve the safety of its employees.
They banned phones from distracting workers and posed safety risks in industrial operations.
Some organizations believe that smartphones can compromise their business’s sensitive information and technology. However, many workers see smartphones as a lifeline in emergencies in the digital age today.
