Companies are looking to lure in talent with beer on tap and nap pods\u2014but Amazon is spending big on worker pay.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The $2.73 trillion tech giant recently announced that it\u2019s pouring $230 million into higher pay and expanded benefits for more than 100,000 U.S. Whole Foods employees. Starting September 28, hourly workers will receive a pay raise that puts the average store wage to more than $21 an hour.<\/p>\n
Amazon, which acquired the upscale grocery chain in 2017, said that this is one of \u201cthe most significant investments\u201d in its U.S. Whole Foods workers ever\u2014and their benefits are getting a huge boost, including expanded health coverage and family-building benefits. New perks for workers will increase average total compensation to around $29 hourly.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year, my leadership team and I visit Whole Foods Market stores across the country to hear directly from team members about what\u2019s on their minds,\u201d Jason Buechel, VP of Amazon Worldwide Grocery, said in the press release.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThose conversations matter deeply to me, and I leave each visit with a list of ways we can make things better\u2014from improving a process to making bigger investments in team members\u2019 growth and happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fortune<\/em> reached out to Amazon for comment.<\/p>\nU.S. Whole Foods workers are getting college perks and Amazon Prime<\/h2>\n
Beyond cold hard cash, Amazon is revamping the perks of working at the grocery store giant. And with all the new investments, the total value of benefits available to full-time team members is rising more than 75%.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey want a clearer path for their pay to grow, more comprehensive health coverage, and expanded benefits for part-time roles,\u201d Buechel explained.<\/p>\n
Starting January 1 2027, U.S. Whole Foods staff will have access to comprehensive health plan options starting at just $5 a week, with access to primary care and behavior health providers with just a $5 copay. Around 20,000 employees working 20 hours or more weekly will get dental, vision, and basic life insurance. Amazon also added that its own health plans \u201cgenerally have lower deductibles\u201d and out-of-pocket costs. In the benefit overhaul, it will introduce fertility and speciality care perks that many Whole Foods plans don\u2019t currently have.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In addition to healthcare, Amazon is also expanding access to education benefits. Amazon\u2019s Career Choice perk will roll out to Whole Foods workers next year, which prepays tuition for college, skills training, and certifications. It\u2019s a program that\u2019s been around since 2012, and more than 300,000 Amazon workers have already participated. Plus, every hourly worker will get access to an Amazon Prime membership valued at $139 annually.<\/p>\n
Whole Foods is investing in career paths like fishmongering and butchery<\/h2>\n
Buechel said that employee feedback has driven benefit changes over the years\u2014including creating apprenticeship programs back in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since its launch, more than 2,150 team members have been trained in artisan skills like fishmongering, meat butchering, bakery decorating, and pizza making. Each quarter, the company welcomes up to 300 staffers to join its upskilling program, giving them a chance to swap working in the corporate head office or behind a till, for becoming a cheese mongerer. The shorter apprenticeships like pizza-making last 12 to 13 weeks, while more intensive training, like meat butchering, spans anywhere from six to 12 months.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sonya\u202fGafsi Oblisk, chief merchandising and marketing officer at Whole Foods, told Fortune<\/em> last year that employees\u2019 wages increased when they joined the program\u2014unlocking not only specialized skills, but a stronger career pathway. Plus, it could be a way for workers to even AI-proof themselves; tech can\u2019t taste, touch, or smell the quality of artisanal cheeses, but certified cheese professionals can.<\/p>\n\u201cMany of our alumni go on to advance their careers within the company, using their apprenticeship as a springboard,\u201d Oblisk said. \u201cThis is more than training\u2014it\u2019s a career accelerator.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#Amazon #invests #million #higher #pay #benefits #Foods #workers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Companies are looking to lure … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4874,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[754,7931,920,269,3108,1666,3109,7932,3714,1119,599,7327,7933,673,430,1964,1582,4530,5175,687,650,3287,7934,3643,530],"class_list":["post-4873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance-news","tag-amazon","tag-amazon-prime","tag-benefits","tag-business","tag-colleges-and-universities","tag-compensation","tag-education","tag-fertility-benefits","tag-foods","tag-grocery","tag-higher","tag-invests","tag-medical-care","tag-million","tag-pay","tag-salaries","tag-skills","tag-training","tag-tuition","tag-u-s","tag-u-s-workers","tag-upskilling","tag-whole-foods","tag-worker-benefits","tag-workers"],"yoast_head":"\n
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