Are Employees Entitled to Reimbursement for Expenses During Periods of Remote Work?
A group of Amazon employees has asserted claims against the company in California, arguing it failed to properly reimburse them for expenses they incurred while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Williams v. Amazon.com Services, LLC, now pending in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Amazon employee David Williams argues the company should reimburse him and other workers for costs of their personal cellular phones, home internet and electricity. Specifically, the employees argue, Amazon “sent home their California-resident office-based employees during the period from March 15, 2020 to the present without reimbursing them for a reasonable portion” of their monthly home expenses. As a result, the employees claim Amazon violated the California Labor Code. Amazon has yet to respond to the Complaint.