Leave with full pay for Flipkart delivery workers if quarantined

E-commerce major Flipkart has pledged to give delivery workers leave with full pay and benefits if they contract COVID-19 or are placed under quarantine.

Flipkart said it has made temperature screening using infra-red thermometers mandatory for all employees, vendors and visitors. Persons with suspected flu symptoms are advised to return home.

"For our supply chain and logistics network, we have organised more than 3,000 awareness sessions covering over 100k employees across all our facilities on how our employees and partners can minimize their exposure by following simple precautionary measures," Amitesh Jha, Senior Vice President - eKart & Marketplace at Flipkart, said in a blog post on Wednesday.

The delivery executives of the e-commerce major are covered with both life and medical insurance, Jha informed.

With the rapid spread of coronavirus across the world, the demand for digital services has increased significantly.

Online retail giant Amazon this week announced that it plans to hire 1 lakh employees in the US in its fulfilment centres and delivery network as more and more people are relying on online deliveries for their daily needs due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Flipkart also said that it has seen "overwhelming demand for essential products".

"We appreciate the dedication and customer-first approach of our supply chain executives, wishmasters and delivery partners during this challenging time. They have reiterated their commitment to serving customers and overcoming many challenges to meet the overwhelming demand for essential products," Jha said.

"The onus is on e-commerce to rise to the demands of the occasion, and we are sparing no effort to ensure that we meet our customers' needs," he said, adding that Flipkart is taking all preventive measures as advised by the World Health Organization.

Seeking cooperation from customers in fighting the spread of coronavirus in India, Flipkart requested them to use digital payment gateways for all cash-on-delivery shipments.

Flipkart said it is working on making additional delivery options such as contactless delivery available to customers in select locations.

"Customers also have the option of requesting the delivery partner to leave their packages at the security booth of their residential complexes in line with their complex's guidelines (in case of online payments)," Jha said. IANS