Starbucks threatens to fire employees if they don't come to the office

Coffee chain Starbucks is tightening its office work policy for employees.

The F&B giant requires office workers to work a combined schedule at least 3 days a week - Photo: Reuters

When new Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol took over in September, he stirred up a lot of controversy. One of them was that Niccol would travel about 1,000 miles a day from California to Starbucks headquarters in Seattle. Now, he's once again stirring up controversy.

Starbucks tightens regulations with employees

The F&B giant requires office workers to work a combination of remote and in-office work at least three days a week. Mr. Niccol emphasized that Starbucks will not specify which days employees must come into the office. However, that does not mean employees can avoid the rule of working three days a week at the office.

As first reported by Bloomberg News on November 18, an internal notice was sent to the entire company, emphasizing Starbucks' stricter stance on office work, effective from January 2025.

The Wall Street Journal revealed more details of the notice, saying employees will face an “accountability process” that will take effect in 2025. Employees who fail to comply with the policy risk serious consequences, “including termination,” the notice said.

"We continue to support our managers in ensuring their teams adhere to our hybrid work policy," the company said in a statement on November 18, according to Bloomberg .

Last week, it was reported that Publicis Media had fired nearly 100 employees in the US for repeatedly flouting the company's three-day-a-week office work policy.

“We have been clear and consistent in our policy that employees work in the office at least three days a week,” a Publicis Media US spokesperson said.

"We should meet as often as possible"

New CEO Brian Niccol has been vocal about the need for in-person work, although he hasn't increased the number of days employees are required to be present.

“My view is that we should see each other as much as possible,” he said in a speech to staff in September, stressing that employees should exercise their autonomy.

“You have to decide for yourself where you need to be to get the job done, and then do it. We’re all adults,” he said, emphasizing that the company’s success is paramount.

“I care about seeing everyone here succeed, and if success requires us to see each other more often, then let's see each other more often,” Niccol stressed.

While at Chipotle, Niccol implemented a four-day workweek policy, prompting some Starbucks employees to worry that their work-from-home flexibility could be further diminished.

Starbucks' hybrid work policy was implemented by then-CEO Howard Schultz in 2023.

Starbucks’ three-day workweek requirement is still considered lenient compared to other large companies that are implementing mandatory return-to-office policies. In September, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced that employees would be required to return to the office five days a week starting January 2, 2025. The surprise decision left many employees unhappy.

Walmart and Dell have also begun enforcing strict return-to-office policies. One notable exception, however, is Spotify, which has announced it will maintain its “work from anywhere” policy.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/starbucks-doa-cho-nghi-viec-luon-neu-nhan-vien-khong-den-van-phong-20241121105505628.htm