Publix grocery chain starts offering paid parental leave

Officials at the Publix grocery store chain says that they will start offering paid parental leave to employees who are new parents

Publix Parental Leave (AP2009)

The Publix grocery store chain will start offering paid parental leave to employees who are new parents, company officials announced 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 U.S. 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 $600.

“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," Maria Brous, Publix's communications director said in an email.

The email 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.