Staffing

Noodles & Co adds mental health coverage to benefits package

Provided

October 23, 2020

Noodles & Company is enhancing its employee benefits package to include education, wellness, family planning, expanded time off and recognition initiatives for all team members.

"We are constantly focused on how we can make Noodles the best place to work in the industry and we are proud of these new benefits that honor our commitment to inclusion and diversity," Sue Petersen, vice president of human resources at Noodles & Company, said in a company press release. "We want each team member to know that they are welcomed and valued at Noodles & Company, and we believe that improving on our existing benefits closes the advancement gap and provides everyone a seat at the table."

The new benefits focus on the prioritization of mental health by offering free in-person and virtual counseling for all team members. Noodles & Company is also debuting mental health awareness live webinars, focusing on identifying mental health symptoms and supporting individuals with mental health issues to ensure all team members are supported.

"We understand the strain of work and home life along with the additional stress of the COVID-19 pandemic and how this impacts our team members, which is why these mental health benefits are so important to us," Petersen said. "COVID-19 has drastically increased mental health instability, with 53% of adults in the United States reporting that their mental health has been negatively impacted due to worry and stress over the coronavirus, which is 21% higher than reported in March, pre-COVID. We want our team members to know that we care about their mental health and that they have our full support."

The company also supports team members' growing families by offering six weeks of paid paternity leave and surrogacy and adoption assistance for qualifying team members of up to $10,000. This is in addition to back up dependent care assistance, which provides team members with 10 days of back-up child, elder or pet care to assist with unexpected situations, and phase-in and phase-out maternity leave which includes 100% pay for a reduced schedule during the four weeks before and after the arrival of a child. Furthermore, the chain is offering tuition assistance for all team members and their immediate family to help them meet their educational goals.

The company is also offering one hour of paid time off to vote via mail or in person at the polls, which can be combined with flexible scheduling.

"Our growing list of industry leading benefits opens doors and opportunities for team members both inside and outside of work," CEO Dave Boennighausen said in the release. "These new benefits help us to not only better serve our existing team members, but also help us appeal to a wider range of potential team members who've maybe never imagined that a job in foodservice can grow into a life-long career."

Noodles & Company has over 450 restaurants.