For Starbucks, boostingbenefits in a tight labor market is a logical way to gain good PRthat will help it attract better employees. (Photo: ALMFile)

Starbucks is doubling down on its reputation for good employeebenefits. The Seattle-based coffee giant announced in a letter to employees last weekthat it plans on bolstering its mental health benefits forworkers.

CEO Kevin Johnson did not specify what the new offering wouldentail but said that he wanted to encourage more employees to takeadvantage of mental health counseling. The company alreadypays the full cost of six counseling sessions but only4 to 5 percent of the workforce uses them, Johnsonrecently told CNN.

Related: Latest Starbucks employee perk: freebabysitting

Johnson has suggested that employees would be more inclined toparticipate if they could connect with counselors more easily,including through unconventional methods, such as texting. In thecoming months the company will gather feedback from workers to tryto craft a plan that more employees will feel comfortable using, hesaid.

In 2016 Starbucks Canada began contributing $5,000 towardsemployee mental health benefits, about ten times more than thetypical employer in Canada. While Canadians all have access to apublicly funded health care system, most have supplementaryinsurance and accessing mental health treatment in the publicsystem is reportedly difficult.

"I commend Starbucks for not only expanding mental healthbenefits but for helping to break down barriers to accessing theseservices. It is not enough to offer mental health benefits," saidShira Wilensky of OneDigital Health and Benefits in a statement."Employers have to be willing to put policies in place and makeenvironmental changes to breed a culture to support the success ofthese initiatives and employee well-being."

For Starbucks, boosting benefits in a tight labor market is alogical way to gain good PR that will help it attract betteremployees. Displaying a commitment to the mental well-being ofworkers can also bolster workplace morale.

An increasing number of employers are expanding mental healthbenefits and incorporate mental health into company wellnessinitiatives.

In response to Starbucks' announcement, Misty Guinn ofBenefitfocus commented, "Employers should be offering a variety ofvoluntary benefits options to support employees' mental health andreduce stress at the source, like offering onsite child care forworking parents, mandatory PTO policies and digital platforms thatare an easy-to-use, confidential resource for employees seekinghelp. As the number of Americans with a mental health conditioncontinues to rise, employers must ensure they're doing all they canto address this within their workforce."

California recently became the first state to put in placemental health standards for employers. Although the standards willnot be mandatory, proponents hope they will serve as encouragementto employers.

The California law is reportedly largely the result of anadvocacy effort by nonprofit One Mind at Work, which is funded byJanssen Research & Development, LLC, a major pharma company.One Mind has been encouraging employers to put in place a "charter"of mental health standards that it crafted. It has publishedresearch claiming that untreated mental health problems cost U.S.employers $190 billion a year in lost productivity andabsenteeism.

Read more: 

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• Starbucks to spend $250M on worker benefits aftertax cut
• Employee physical, mental health and employersupport drive productivity