The best burrito chain in the country (that's right, I said it) just made a huge move in an effort to give employees more rights and treat them better. As of July 1st, Chipotle will be offering sick days, paid vacation, and tuition reimbursement to all of its employees — not just the salaried ones. Including employees paid an hourly wage in these benefits is a huge deal; the majority of food service, retail, and other hourly, entry-level positions don't offer benefits even remotely similar to their hourly employees. Though the details of the tuition reimbursement, amount of sick days, and terms of paid vacation haven't yet been made clear, C.A. Pinkham of Jezebel's Kitchenette blog compares the benefits to Starbucks' (the Seattle-based coffee company also offers similar benefits to hourly workers) and predicts that there will be further similarities between the two companies.
Entry-level food service, retail, and administrative jobs often only offer employees minimum wage without any other benefits and only offer a raise to workers — raises which are usually only 75 cents — after they've been with the company for one year. However, there are some companies out there that offer additional accommodations for their hourly workers and actually make an effort to, you know, treat them like real human beings with lives and rights.
The best part? It might be a growing trend. If you're looking for an entry-level job with more than just a low base pay, these other companies also offer benefits to their hourly employees:
1. Whole Foods
This grocery chain, which specializes in organic foods, not only pays its hourly employees better than minimum wage, but also offers options for them to get healthcare. Employees get additional discounts on products from the store, too.
2. Starbucks
Starbucks offers their employees (whom they call "partners") an extensive compensation package, which includes health care, higher-than-minimum-wage base pay, and even equity in the company.
3. Costco
The wholesale company offers full benefits to part-time workers — which, no doubt is why it's listed as one of America's top companies for compensation and benefits for both full-time and part-time workers.
4. UPS
UPS part-time employees get full healthcare benefits if they work 15 hours a week or more after 30 days of employment. They can also earn up to $25,000 of tuition during their employment there.
5. Staples
The office supply store not only offers health coverage for employees, but also extends it to family members.
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