LAKELAND, FLORIDA (AP) – The Publix grocery store chain will start offering paid parental leave to employees who are new parents, company officials announced on Wednesday.
Eligible full-time and part-time workers will be able to take off the time during the first year of the birth or adoption of a child, starting with the new year, the Florida-based company said.
The new benefits come as retailers across the United States (US) are facing a worker shortage, and some are offering new benefits to attract or retain workers. St Louis-based Schnucks recently gave its grocery store workers a one-time retention bonus of USD600.
“Publix is committed to being a great place to work, and we frequently review our benefits to continually offer a comprehensive package to our associates,” Publix communications director Maria Brous said in an e-mail.
The e-mail didn’t offer details on how much paid time off new parents would get.
The privately held, employee-owned company has 225,000 workers at almost 1,300 stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
