Amazon has officially started sending notices to corporate employees affected by its latest round of layoffs, as the company moves forward with plans to cut around 14,000 jobs. Internal messages seen by Business Insider revealed that employees began receiving notification emails earlier this week, with the company promising 90 days of full pay and benefits.
Amazon’s email to laid-off employees
An internal email sent by Beth Galetti, Amazon’s Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology, confirmed that employees whose roles are being eliminated will receive full pay and benefits for 90 days. During this non-working period, they will also have access to company resources and internal communication tools.
Amazon has not commented on the matter officially. The internal correspondence, according to Business Insider, stated that laid-off employees would later be offered a severance package, transitional benefits (depending on the country), and support with job placement and skills training.
In her message, Galetti described the whole lay-off decision as “difficult but necessary,” explaining that the cuts came after a thorough review of Amazon’s structure, priorities, and future focus areas. “After a thorough review of our organisation, our priorities, and what we need to focus on going forward, we’ve made the hard business decision to eliminate some roles across Amazon. Unfortunately, your role is being eliminated, and your employment will end after a non-working period,” the email read, according to Business Insider.
She added that the company is committed to helping affected workers through the transition and asked them to attend upcoming meetings with HR or team leaders to discuss the next steps. “we’re committed to supporting you throughout this transition, which will include a non-working period with full pay and benefits (as applicable), an offer of a severance package, transitional benefits as applicable by country, and access to several skills trainings as well as external job placement support,” the email continued.
Access to resources and next steps
Laid-off employees have been asked to keep their personal email addresses updated in Amazon’s internal “A to Z” app, where they can find FAQs about pay, severance, benefits, among other details. According to the internal email, those currently on-site have had their badge access restricted. “Your badge access has been restricted, so if you’re currently in an Amazon office, Security can assist you with exiting the building. Beyond this conversation, you can also review additional information and FAQs in MyHR at any time.”
Amazon has assured workers that they will continue to have access to internal communication channels such as email and Chime during the 90-day transition period. “If you run into any trouble at all getting what you need—whether that’s connectivity issues, questions about next steps, or any other concerns—please just reply to this email,” Galetti wrote in the email, according to BI, adding that the HR and support teams are available 24/7 through the Employee Assistance Portal.
According to the Reuters report, the E-commerce giant is planning to cut as many as 30K corporate jobs this year. The layoffs are part of the company’s restructuring initiative under CEO Andy Jassy. Earlier this week, Galetti announced the cuts, saying that while the company’s performance remains strong, it needs to operate leaner and more efficiently, especially as it leans heavily into artificial intelligence and automation.