As the demand for online groceries grows during the coronavirus pandemic, Instacart, which has hired 300,000 workers in the last month, is planning to hire 250,000 more.
The company said in a statement Thursday it is seeking to hire the additional “full-service shoppers,” in areas with high demand with the aim to “get back to same-day delivery.”
Some customers have struggled in recent weeks to secure delivery slots due to high demand amid social distancing orders. Instacart added it will reintroduce a waitlist for applicants in areas where it has enough workers to satisfy the demand to ensure it is “thoughtfully balancing” how many workers it brings on.
The company has also announced new sanitation features including “safety kits.”
The kits include a face mask and hand sanitizer, available for its workers to order. The company also has an in-app wellness check for workers to determine if they have any coronavirus-related symptoms.
Instacart also said it will extend its coronavirus financial assistance of up to 14 days of pay for workers diagnosed with the virus or placed into mandatory quarantine through the pandemic.
Instacart made the changes last month amid growing calls for protests. Some Instacart employees began protesting against the company, calling for a form of hazard pay or an extra $5 per order. Protestors also demanded a default tip of 10%.
Trader Joe’s, Walmart, and Target have all offered cash bonuses and improved benefits in efforts to hire more workers.
However, essential workers involved in grocery shopping and delivery have had issues with their employees. Dozens of Amazon employees staged a walkout Sunday, protesting new restrictions on the retails giant’s sick-leave policy.
More than 300 Amazon employees from 50 facilities are demanding Amazon to immediately close facilities that report positive cases of the coronavirus and provide testing and two weeks’ pay during the period. Workers also wanted paid sick leave and a commitment from their employer not to retaliate against anyone who speaks out.