Leaked Staples memo reveals stores get $50 a week for free lunch while workers petition for locations to shut down

• Staples has not announced any major changes to employee benefits amid the coronavirus pandemic.
• A leaked internal memo showed that instead of hazard pay or additional paid sick leave, the company is offering stores $50 a week to purchase meals or snacks for the team and giving workers the chance to earn more Star Points in the company's internal rewards program.
• "It's a slap in the face," a Staples manager in a store in California, who brought in free lunch for his employees using the allotted $50 a week, told Business Insider.
• Staples did not return Business Insider's request for comment.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

As employees of an "essential" business, Staples workers are still expected to come into work amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But while companies like McDonald's and Starbucks have modified their benefits policies to include more sick time, others, like Staples, are staying away from these larger changes. Instead, as a token of thanks, Staples is giving each store $50 a week to buy lunches for employees, according to a leaked internal memo that was viewed by Business Insider.

The memo also revealed that Staples is accelerating the use of its Star Point system, an internal currency that employees can trade in for rewards such as personal care items and gift cards.

"It's a slap in the face," a Staples manager in a store in California, who brought in free lunch for his employees from the allotted $50 a week, told Business Insider.

This manager said that while the gesture was generally appreciated by the workers, it was not nearly as valuable as hazard pay or monetary compensation would be.

In leaked internal memos, Staples said it should be considered essential because it sells cleaning and work-from-home-enabling products to support hospitals and healthcare providers. In a previous statement to Business Insider, a Staples representative said that the retailer is an essential business because it provides business and educational materials and products, household goods, and cleaning supplies, and that these products also help support other essential businesses.

Staples has not introduced additional paid time off or hazard pay for its employees during the pandemic. Employees who are feeling sick are encouraged to stay home and use their previously accrued sick and vacation days.

"While we continue to navigate the challenges of COVID-19, we want to thank you for going above and beyond and living our values," the memo reads. "We are extremely grateful for your team's dedication and commitment to Staples and your community of customers."

Staples did not return Business Insider's request for comment.

Three employees in Staples stores in Michigan, Maryland, and North Carolina also told Business Insider their stores were offering free lunches for employees. Business Insider allowed these workers, as well as others included in this story, to remain anonymous in order to allow them to speak frankly about the situation and confirmed that they were employed at the company through pay stubs or other documentation.

A Staples employee in a Lincoln, Nebraska, store said that the $50-a-week gift doesn't go that far in terms of team morale.

"We are scared going to work and feel sacrificial," this employee said of her job, describing how opting for unpaid leave is not an ideal option for someone who depends on a paycheck to eat. "We are also not getting hazard pay or any other compensation for putting ourselves at risk."

Staples employees have started a campaign on Coworker.org asking the chain to close stores while paying workers in the meantime. The campaign takes issue with the claim that the store is essential and says that staying open poses a danger to employees.

A Maryland Staples employee described the response she and her coworkers had to the free lunches and Star Points as "a mix of anger and resignation."

Like most workers, this employee said that hazard pay or monetary bonuses would be more useful in her situation.

And get the latest coronavirus analysis and research from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is impacting businesses.