A pizza chain is offering paid time off for employees who want to protest

Hillary Hoffower

June 2, 2020 11:13 PM

Pizza chain &pizza is offering PTO to its 700 employees for activism, reported Janine Puhak for Fox News .

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It's not the only small business to offer this benefit following George Floyd's death .
The president of online resource Wikilawn told Business Insider he's issuing a PTO policy for employees who wish to protest .
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .

The 700 employees at &pizza can take time off for activism efforts without fear of losing pay.

The pizza chain announced on Sunday it would offer its employees paid time off (PTO) for activism after George Floyd's death, reported Janine Puhak for Fox News .

"For those in this pain. For those in this fight. We stand with the Black Community against racial hate and injustice," &pizza tweeted ."In memory of George Floyd & in UNITY always. From this day forward, @andpizza will be giving its employees paid time off for activism."'

A spokesperson told Food & Wine on Monday that these days off will be in addition to the PTO employees already receive. The policy will empower employees "to participate in activism of their choosing starting this week and moving forward," the spokesperson said.

"It's about showing and fighting for unity," Michael Lastoria, CEO of &pizza, said in a statement provided to the magazine. "And we've always tried to make it more than a word, to act as more than just a pizza brand, and to serve more than just our guests."

Social justice PTO became a hot new perk for employees in 2017, reported Chris Weller for Business Insider . The benefit gives employees a few days each month to protest, vote, and participate in marches.

Now, more businesses like &pizza are joining in. The fast-casual restaurant isn't the only small business to offer a time-off policy amid nationwide protests against systemic racism of black people in America.

Dan Bailey, president of Wikilawn, an online resource for garden and lawn care, told Business Insider that he's offering PTO for employees who wish to protest. "Some things are more important than a company's bottom line," he said.

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