Facebook announces paid leave facilities for employees amidst coronavirus scare

Social networking giant Facebook is making things a little easier for the employees who are sick or are taking care of their sick relatives. The giant has introduced a new paid time off programs so the employees can take time off up to a month to take care of their sick relatives. The new provision has been made in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak which has also gripped the United States. A spokeswoman in a statement made the announcement which said that Facebook understands that people are currently in an unchartered territory with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The statement added that Facebook wishes to support their people during their tough times due to which they have launched a number of initiatives for the employees who have to be with their sick family member. There are also facilities even if they have to travel to another country or a state to take care of a sick family member. The social networking giant is also providing short-term needs for its employees by offering paid admin leave of up to 20 days leave for taking care of a relative and can be taken in one-day increments. Moreover, the employees will also be given flexibility in terms of working hours and schedules so they can use alternative working hours.

Ever since the outbreak of coronavirus, Facebook has been generous to offer benefits and support to its employees. It has also allowed 45,000 f its employees to work from home and has also given them $1,000 bonuses that they could spend to set-up work at home and could also cover costs for childcare. The Portal video-calling devices are also being offered to its employees, who have requested.

There are about 367,400 cases of coronavirus across the globe and at least 16,100 deaths have been reported. The virus originated in the Wuhan province of China and started to spread to other parts of the country in the beginning of 2020.

Photo Credits: The intercept