Kroger is giving its employees $25 worth of groceries for their hard work amid the coronavirus — but most of them still don't get paid sick leave

• Kroger, the nation's largest grocer, is giving all of its employees $25 worth of credit for groceries on their loyalty cards.
• "While this is just a small gesture, we hope our associates realize the tremendous value they bring not only to our organization but also to our customers," a Kroger spokesperson said in a statement regarding the gift cards. "We could not be weathering this storm without them."
• But the company does not offer paid sick leave for all of its employees. 
• Those who have contracted the virus or are in mandatory quarantine are eligible for two weeks of paid leave, the company confirmed to Business Insider.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The coronavirus outbreak has many major retailers rethinking their employee benefits and paid leave policies. 

Kroger, the nation's largest grocer, is offering its more than 450,000 employees $25 worth of grocery credit on their loyalty cards to reward their hard work during the pandemic, which has made life difficult for retail workers across the US.

A Kroger spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that this represents an $11 million investment in total.

Politics newsletter Popular Information reported the news on Wednesday and included an apparent clip of Dennis Gibson, president of Kroger subsidiary Fred Meyer, in a voicemail sent to 30,000 employees in which he described the new gift card initiative.

"With this gesture, we hope you will realize the tremendous value you being, not only to Fred Meyer, but also to our customers," Gibson says in the voicemail.

The grocer still does not offer all of its employees paid sick leave. However, those who have contracted the virus or have been put in a mandatory quarantine are eligible for two weeks of paid sick leave, Kroger confirmed to Business Insider.

"The past few weeks have been unprecedented for country, our associates and our customers. Kroger's store, warehouse, distribution, food production and office associates are working around the clock to keep our stores open for our customers," a Kroger spokesperson wrote to Business Insider. "The situation demands us to respond quicker, move faster and work harder to maintain the safety of our associates and the well-being of our customers and communities."

SEE ALSO: 'I'm scared to lose my job and I'm scared to die': Retail employees describe working conditions as coronavirus panic heightens nationwide

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