Amazon Engineer Sues for Work From Home Costs

California does, indeed, require employers to pay all business costs, but do they need to pay for your increased electricity use?

Like every other company, Amazon sent all employees who could work from home to work from home in 2020. But they didn’t start paying for internet and electricity costs for their employees, according to a lawsuit filed by an Amazon engineer in California.

On the surface, it makes perfect sense. California law requires companies to pay all business expenses. Employees who work at home would use more electricity and internet than they would if they came into the office. Therefore, the engineer has a case. At least, that’s why the judge didn’t throw it out.

Amazon argues that these expenses aren’t the company’s obligation since it wasn’t its choice to send people home; it was following the state orders to send everyone home. The law doesn’t seem to have an exception for emergencies.

The full article published on Amazon Engineer Sues for Work From Home Costs by Suzanne Lucas