Brookshire Grocery extends COVID-19 appreciation pay for third time

Brookshire Grocery Co. has extended appreciation pay for hourly frontline workers for a third time since the COVID-19 outbreak in March.

Tyler, Texas-based Brookshire’s said this week that its more than 14,000 retail and logistics employees will receive another $1 per hour through Nov. 6 as a “thank you” for their extra efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.

The regional grocer first enacted the temporary wage hike on March 24, with its 14,000-plus retail and logistics staff getting a $1-per-hour increase for the six weeks through the beginning of May. That was followed by extensions of the program announced on May 1, July 10 and Sept. 14.

“Our employee-partners’ service through this pandemic has been and continues to be heroic and inspiring,” Brookshire Grocery Chief Operating Officer Trent Brookshire said in a statement. “As other companies pull back on compensation for their workers, we are continuing to invest in our greatest assets: our partners. I am so proud to be able to give this appreciation pay as a tangible offering of our sincere gratitude for everything they are doing. I am so honored to be part of such an incredible team who upholds such high standards for service and safety.”

The extended pay increase comes in addition to more than $21 million invested in frontline staff thus far via bonus checks, gift cards, retail incentives, an extra employee discount, on-site meals and a compensation plan for those most at risk to be directly affected by COVID-19, Brookshire’s noted.

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Among the added compensation were special bonus checks of up to a half-week’s pay announced March 19 and April 23 as well as $1.3 million in $100 and $50 Brookshire’s gift cards announced May 22 and $1.9 million in $200 and $100 gift cards announced July 1 for full- and part-time workers.

Overall, family-owned Brookshire’s employs more than 15,000 people and operates more than 180 stores under the Brookshire’s, Super 1 Foods, Fresh by Brookshire’s and Spring Market banners in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, as well as three distribution centers.

On Wednesday, Brookshire’s also announced that it has been certified as a Great Place to Work by the Oakland, Calif.-based Great Place to Work Institute, a global authority on workplace culture, employee experience and the leadership. The grocery retailer noted that it earned the designation based on validated employee feedback gathered through Great Place to Work’s “rigorous methodology.”

“We are very excited to be Great Place to Work-Certified,” stated Brookshire’s Chairman and CEO Brad Brookshire. “We make the employee experience a priority, and it means a lot that our employees have reported a consistently positive experience with their co-workers, leaders roles and BGC. This is important to us because we know that when employees have a high-trust and positive experience with their employer, they provide similarly exceptional experiences for customers.”

Related:Brookshire Grocery extends COVID-19 daily discounts

Great Place to Work has surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide on their workplace experience and environment since 1992. “We congratulate Brookshire Grocery Co. on their certification,” commented Sarah Lewis-Kulin, vice president of Best Workplace list research for Great Place to Work. “Organizations that earn their employees’ trust create great workplace cultures that deliver outstanding business results.”

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