Chipotle Expands Mental Health Services For Employees

With around 3.6 million fast food workers in America, change to the industry comes slowly—especially, it seems, when it's change for the better. So when a fast food giant announces an initiative to improve the lives of its employees, it feels like a huge deal.

Chipotle Mexican Grill announced in a press release that it will be providing access to mental healthcare services for more than 80,000 employees in 2020. All Chipotle associates and their family members will have the opportunity to receive personalized assistance from healthcare experts, regardless of whether they're enrolled in the company's medical plan. Mental health support from certified counselors will also be available "to support personal, professional, mental, financial and/or legal concerns." (It's worth noting that these counseling services are available both in person and remotely.) The 2020 benefits package will also include financial planning assistance and discounted gym memberships.

These are all good steps for Chipotle, which also began offering employees tuition reimbursement and GED classes earlier this year. Between this and refusing to serve breakfast, the company appears to be making moves to improve worker experience.