Publix Grocery Chain Starts Offering Paid Parental Leave

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

The Florida-based company said Wednesday that 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 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.

Publix didnโ€™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.