We were delighted to receive a Gold Award in the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme.
Under the Employer Recognition Scheme, the Ministry of Defence publicly recognises the commitment that companies such as Amazon make by acting as advocates for current and former military personnel and their families.
The Gold Award celebrates our positive attitude and market sector-leading policies towards the Armed Forces community and highlights our work supporting current and former defence personnel as an example of best practice in the UK business community.
Previously, Amazon was named Employer of the Year at the Ex-Forces In Business Awards in May. In addition, Gillian Russell, our Military Programme Manager and a retired Royal Navy Officer, received the Advocate of the Year Award.
At the end of 2018, we introduced paid leave for Reservists for their mandatory training. This change ensures that all employees who continue to serve with the UK Military as members of the Armed Forces Reserve get up to two weeks of paid leave each year to attend training in addition to their annual leave.
In June, Amazon honoured Armed Forces Reserve Day (26 June) and Armed Forces Day (29 June) by paying tribute to veterans and reservists like Mark Farrer and Sophie Martin, who have joined Amazon’s UK Operations and who work to delight customers every day.
The Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace, said: “These awards recognise the outstanding support of our Armed Forces from employers across Britain and I would like to thank and congratulate each and every one. Regardless of size, location or section, employing ex-forces personnel is good for business and this year we have doubled the number of awards in recognition of the fantastic support they give.”
Amazon previously received the Silver Award under the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme in November 2017.
In 2011, Amazon launched its global Military Programme in the UK, offering veterans the opportunity to pursue exciting post-military careers in operations, engineering, logistics, HR and cloud computing.
Gillian Russell, Military Programme Manager, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded Gold in the UK Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, which recognises the huge contribution made by hundreds of ex-Service personnel, military spouses and current Reservists at Amazon. Our leadership and management skills, honed during military service, are second to none, driving our ability to keep our customer promise every day.”
To find out more about our work supporting current and former defence personnel, reservists and veterans, please click here.
