Chipotle to Offer Hourly Employees Benefits

Chipotle announced last week that they are going to offer their entry level workers a handful of benefits that previously were only available to salaried employees. Among the benefits entry level workers can now receive at Chipotle are paid vacation, paid sick time, and even tuition reimbursement in some cases. The announcement should make many people happy who have been advocating for fast food workers and rallying against the minimum wage, stating it is not enough to possibly live on and support a family. The news was announced during a Dallas human resources convention by executives for the company.

According to Chipotle’s recruitment strategy manager, J.D. Cummings, the decision to offer benefits was made to help Chipotle attract more college and high school students, who they believe make up their target staff members. The goal of the benefits program would be to help employees get the extra push and benefits they need to work their way up the ladder at Chipotle, eventually becoming a store manager or a franchise owner of their own branch. Cummings stated you have to give them a promise for the future in order to help them develop while at the company. This helps employees stay dedicated.

The company did not yet elaborate on what the benefits will be and how much hourly workers will be paid. It also did not note what the conditions or details would be that would make an employee eligible to receive the tuition reimbursement. Fast food companies have been slammed lately and tagged as a low wage industry, but restaurant chains are starting to improve their public image by making changes. Starbucks for example announced that it will cover tuition for the online program at Arizona State University as part of a partnership with the university.