LAKELAND, Fla. — Leaders at the Publix grocery store chain say they will start offering paid parental leave to employees who are new parents.
The Florida-based company said 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.
Publix didn’t offer details on how much paid time off new parents would get.
The new benefits come as retailers across the U.S. are facing a worker shortage and trying to retain employees.
“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 to The Associated Press.
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.
10 Tampa Bay's Courtney Holland contributed to this report.