The challenges of 2020 required our frontline workers — more than 13,000 retail, distribution center and plant employees — to show amazing resilience and dedication when it came to protecting our business.
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread, we had to temporarily close our owned-and-operated stores as the world went into lockdown. And when it came time to reopen our doors under strict guidelines and protocols, we relied on these employees to do so safely while driving the business. Time and again, they went above and beyond and applied what they learned in the spring as they navigated a second wave in the fall.
“Working through the turmoil, uncertainty and countless challenges of the global pandemic, these teams showed up to ensure that Levi Strauss & Co.’s doors remained open and our company could continue to serve our consumers and customers,” said Liz O’Neill, executive vice president & chief operations officer.
As a company, we recently celebrated our frontline workers — which included spot bonuses — and their collective effort to go above and beyond, representing the best of the best of our employees as part of our annual awards program.
“Without their dedication and commitment in the midst of a global health crisis, we wouldn’t have delivered the results that we did,” said Chip Bergh, president and chief executive officer. “Each one of these employees showed courage, dedication, and commitment to this company to come into work every day despite the pandemic.”
The latest recognition was just one in many steps the company has taken to ensure our frontline workers have had the right support to do their jobs throughout this crisis. Last May, we extended our paid sick leave policy to all U.S. part-time hourly retail employees — a benefit that will continue even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. The extended policy allows part-time retail employees to take paid time off when they or a family member are sick so that they don’t need to choose between taking care of their health and a paycheck.
Additionally, LS&Co. continues to monitor and respond to the pandemic on a global scale keeping the health and safety of our employees and consumers around the world top of mind.
“This year, making an impact has been a little bit different. We’ve all done our jobs differently. All of our teams have had very difficult personal and professional moments all along, but it really has been inspiring to watch our frontline employees and how much they have given this year and how literally we could feel their impact each and every day when they came to work and kept everything moving throughout,” Liz said. “It’s just been amazing, and we cannot thank [them] all enough.”
