Publix grocery chain starts offering paid parental leave

LAKELAND, Fla. — (AP) — 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 from work during the first year of the birth or adoption of a child, starting with the new year, the Florida-based company said.

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The change in benefits was first reported by Florida Politics.

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.

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“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.

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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.

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