According to business executives, the Publix grocery store chain will begin giving paid parental leave to workers who become parents for the first time on Wednesday.
Full-time and part-time employees who meet the requirements will be allowed to take time off for the first year after the birth or adoption of a child, beginning with the new year, according to the Florida-based corporation.
The new incentives come at a time when merchants around the United States are experiencing a labour shortage, and some are introducing additional benefits to attract and retain employees. Schnucks, a grocery store chain founded in St. Louis, recently awarded a $600 one-time retention incentive to its employees.
A statement from Maria Brous, Publix’s communications director, said that the company is devoted to being a wonderful place to work, and that the company “often reviews our benefits to ensure that we are offering a complete package to our workers.”
The email did not include any information on how much paid time off new parents would be entitled to.
The privately held, employee-owned firm employs 225,000 people across almost 1,300 locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The company is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.
