Lowe’s takes preventative measures and announces $170 million commitment in response to coronavirus pandemic.

Lowe’s understands the important role its stores play in providing essential products and services to customers, government officials and first responders and has taken steps to ensure continued support of customers and its more than 300,000 associates. In fact, Lowe’s has committed more than $170 million to support associates and communities during this unprecedented time.  

As customers depend on home improvement stores for urgent, critical needs like refrigerators and freezers, among other items such as generators, cleaning products, safety equipment and harsh weather items, Lowe’s has implemented additional efforts to protect the safety and well-being of associates and customers, including:

• Temporarily closing all stores at 7 p.m. daily to provide additional time for essential product replenishment and to thoroughly clean and sanitize our stores.  
• Enhanced social distancing protocols by adding dedicated social distancing ambassadors responsible for monitoring customer flow in garden centers and front-end areas and to enforce customer limits to allow proper social distancing.  
• Made substantial updates to our store floor layouts to further support the CDC’s guidelines for social distancing, such as opening up aisle space by removing displays to make it easier for both associates and customers to get the items they need quickly and safely. 
• Developed an app to implement a new customer limit protocol, available now on associates’ handheld devices. Each store manager can now monitor foot traffic and limit entrance based on CDC and local guidelines.  
• Installed customized Plexiglass shields at all points of sale to protect our cashiers and customer service associates working at the return desk. 
• Added overhead announcements, store signage, and customer and associate guidelines that emphasize the importance of social distancing.  
• Implemented a more robust curbside pickup process, so customers can be served without having to come inside the store.  

These new efforts build upon the company’s previous actions to support the health and well-being of associates and customers.

Supporting Our Associates

To show its appreciation for the more than 300,000 Lowe’s associates who providing support to our customers during this unprecedented time, the company has taken the following actions to support its associates and their families: 

• Temporarily increasing wages by $2 an hour for every full-time, part-time and seasonal hourly store, contact center and supply chain associates for hours they work throughout the month of April in the U.S. and Canada. 
• Making masks and gloves available to all associates in the workplace who want them. All N95 medical masks were placed on a stop sale and are being donated to hospitals to protect frontline healthcare workers, along with other personal protective equipment for first responders in our communities. 
• All hourly associates received a special payment to recognize their tireless efforts and to help with those who may be experiencing unplanned expenses and hardships during this time. The payment amount was $300 for full-time associates and $150 for part-time and seasonal associates. 
• Offered 14-days of emergency paid leave for all associates who need it, whether that’s because they are feeling sick, caring for a loved one, or because they have been faced with new hardships such as closed schools and daycares.  
• Extended emergency paid leave up to a total of four weeks for those at a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.   
• Extended telemedicine benefits through Teladoc to all associates and their families whether they are seasonal, temporary, part-time or full-time, regardless if they are enrolled in Lowe’s medical plan. 
• Created pantries in stores so that associates can have access to food while at the store and to take home. 
• Closed its stores on Easter Sunday to provide associates with time to spend with family and recharge.

Community Commitment

As part of Lowe’s $170 million commitment, Lowe’s is dedicating $25 million to support the emerging needs of our associates, customers and communities, which includes a $10 million donation in essential protective products to do our part in helping keep medical professionals on the frontlines healthy and safe. The funds will also support Lowe’s Employee Relief Fund and offer small business relief for our Pros. Read more about our commitment here. 

Lowe’s stopped selling N95 respirators and has donated all of its medical-grade respirators to the country’s two largest healthcare distribution organizations. These companies cover 85 percent of the nation’s acute facilities/healthcare facilities. As additional inventory becomes available, we will continue to use this process. 

Hiring

Lowe’s is actively hiring for 30,000 positions in-stores across the U.S. to support our communities. The company has full-time, part-time, seasonal and overnight roles available for displaced workers who are seeking short-term opportunities. Those interested in applying can visit jobs.lowes.com or text “JOBS” to LOWES (56937) to learn more about available opportunities and apply.