Starbucks has reportedly asked all corporate employees to return to the office if they don't want to be terminated. The move comes forward as the chain tries to implement the 'back-to-office' policy even more strictly.
An October 29 report from the Wall Street Journal claims that the chain recently sent an internal memo to all corporate employees. The memo talks briefly about an accountability process that will affect those who fail to report to the office. It will be part of the 'standardized processes' that will be implemented in January 2025.
Once in effect, they will make it mandatory for employees to work three days in the office and the remaining two days remotely. The changes came two months after the new Starbucks CEO, Brian Niccol joined the company.
Niccol has been very vocal about the importance of working from the office and told employees in September that they should be wherever it was needed for them to perform their jobs. At the time, he also hinted that the office should most often be that specific place.
Exploring Starbucks' back-to-office policy that threatens employees with termination
Starbucks has been one of the major companies that adopted remote work policies during the pandemic. Employees found these policies to be more efficient as they not only helped maintain proper work-life balance but also helped cut daily commuting costs and stress.
With the lingering effects of the pandemic disappearing by 2022, the chain began to switch to hybrid work models and implemented the back-to-office policy. At the time, the move was met with serious backlash from employees nationwide and had to be pushed back.
Starbucks is now trying to implement the existing hybrid work models through stricter back-to-office policies that will punish offenders with terminations. The policies reportedly affect over 3,500 corporate employees across the United States.
The chain has also exempted Tuesday from the list of required in-office days. The authority to determine the best in-office working day has been transferred to team managers who can implement them on their personal discretion.
Talking to the employees about the back-to-office policy at the chain's Seattle headquarters in September 2024, Brian Niccol said:
“This is not a game of tracking. This is a game of winning. I care about seeing everybody here succeed, and if success requires us being together more often than not, let’s be together more often.”
Starbucks has been encouraging employees to return to the office with lucrative amenities such as daycare, onsite gyms, and in-office Starbucks stores. To make the commute easier, they have also provided free shuttles to nearby public transportation, free electric vehicle charging, subsidized transits, and bike lockers.
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The hybrid work policy also applies to the CEO Brian Niccol who joined the company in September 2024. The chain confirmed that Niccol will either closely meet the three-day office work requirements or exceed them.
Niccol's early days at the company made him a target of severe criticism for the work arrangement allowing him to fly over 1,000 miles in the company's private jet daily. The CEO resides at his Newport Beach home and flies three days each week to the Seattle headquarters.
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