Amazon offers parents the choice to work term-time only

AMAZON has launched an innovative new contract that offers parents, grandparents and guardians of school-age children in Warrington the choice to work term-time only.

The new contracts, available at the Warrington fulfilment centre, guarantee time off for the six-week Summer break, as well as the two-week Easter and Christmas holiday periods, without affecting the comprehensive range of benefits they receive, including private medical insurance and life assurance.

The contracts, aimed at better supporting family needs, were successfully trialed at three sites following employee feedback, and are now being phased in for employees in Warrington and across all Amazon’s fulfilment centres – the places where Amazon store, pick and pack items for sale. They will be rolled out to sort centres and delivery stations across the UK later this year.
Amazon also announced a new flexible part-time contract for a minimum of 80 hours a month which lets employees pick and mix the shifts which suit their needs; part-day or full-day, day or night, weekday or weekend. The contract will support people who are unable to find work due to family or other commitments that require flexibility, return to the workplace.
As with all roles at Amazon, a current employee could refer a friend or family member to this option, which could also provide similar, required flexibility to a partner at home. The part-time contract, piloted at five fulfilment centres and now being expanded to a further seven sites, was also introduced as a result of employee feedback.

Mum Daniella Bridgewater lost her role as a teaching assistant during the pandemic and joined Amazon’s Warrington fulfilment centre shortly afterwards. A participant in Amazon’s term-time working trial, Daniella now remains on the contract:
She said: “This is the first place I’ve ever found a term-time contract outside of a school and it provides exactly the kind of flexibility I need. It’s the best work-life balance for a family because you get more time off and there’s much less worry around finding childcare in the holidays.”
Radek Stegbauer, general manager at Amazon in Warrington, said: “We’ve listened to our employees’ views on flexible working and I’m really proud that we’ve introduced new and innovative options based on their feedback.
“Both of these contracts put a really important emphasis on work-life balance and I’m certain they’re going to make a positive difference for many of our people.”