Company to also support COVID-19 impacted communities, students
More than 90,000 PepsiCo employees will receive additional pay and benefits in response to COVID-19, the company announced. PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA) and PepsiCo Foods North American (PFNA) frontline, full-time employees will receive an additional $100 per week. In addition, PepsiCo is hiring 6,000 new, benefit-eligible, frontline employees in the United States
Ramon Laguarta, chairman and chief executive officer of PepsiCo, made assurances that the company would continue to transport and stock food product, while at the same time thanking healthcare providers, including doctors and nurses. “At the same time, there is important work being done in other sectors, including our own, to help maintain the supply of foods and beverages,” he said. “We couldn’t be prouder of our PepsiCo team for the role they play in restocking pantries and refrigerators.”
Increased Pepsico community support, philanthropy
Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo is also supporting communities impacted by coronavirus outbreak, increasing philanthropic activity through the PepsiCo Foundation. It is investing $11M in communities globally, providing food, water and “other critical support,” Commiting $1M to help students fight off hunger, it is partnering with the USDA and Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty to deliver 1M food boxes to students in rural communities. Furthermore, its Food for Good program plans to provide 200,000 meals weekly and distribute another 1M meals over the next 30 days.
The company also announced a donation of $200,000 to each Red Cross in Italy, Spain, France and $100,000 to the Red Cross in Lebanon. PepsiCo will invest $1.5M with the Global FoodBanking Network to provide water and nutrition to 12 Latin American countries affected by COVID-19.
Enhanced benefits to Pepsico frontline employees
Here are the enhanced benefits the company, announced, with the descriptions PepsiCo provided:
- Employees who must quarantine will receive 100% of their pay during the up to 14-day quarantine period. The quarantine period will not reduce accrued unused sick days, nor will there be a negative impact to attendance records.
- Employees who have been assessed by a doctor and are either showing symptoms or are diagnosed with COVID-19 will receive 100% of their pay during the 14-day quarantine period. Beginning week 3, employees will receive sick pay/short-term disability benefits, which will provide a minimum of two-thirds of their pay, for up to 10 weeks.
- Employees who are caring for a family member living in the same household who has been assessed by a doctor and is either showing symptoms or has been diagnosed with COVID-19 will receive 100% of their pay during the 14-day quarantine period. Beginning week 3, if they are not able to work from home, they will receive a minimum of two-thirds of their pay for up to 10 weeks. If they are working from home, their full pay will be continued.
- Employees who work at a facility that must be closed will receive 100% pay for up to 12 weeks.
- Employees who are impacted by school or day care center closure with no one home to look after a child, will receive a minimum of two-thirds of their pay for up to 12 weeks if they are not able to work from home.
- Employees are also eligible for free COVID-19 testing, a “Crisis Care” reimbursement of $100 a day for child care, and access to specially trained mental health professionals.
“We know our products on store shelves provide a sense of stability and normalcy to consumers during trying times,” said Kirk Tanner, chief executive, PepsiCo Beverages North America. “This is our way to recognize the critical role our frontline plays in our organization, now and always.”
Photo credit: PepsiCo
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