Starbucks Asks Employees To Work From Office 3 Days A Week Or Get Ready For Termination

This development follows a month after new CEO Brian Niccol informed employees that they should work wherever necessary to fulfil their job responsibilities

Starbucks is adopting a strategy similar to Amazon's, informing its corporate staff that starting in January 2025, they must be in the office at least three days a week or face potential termination. In a memo obtained by Bloomberg News, the coffee chain announced it will introduce a “standardised process” to ensure compliance with its return-to-office policy. The memo stated that consequences for failing to adhere to this policy could range from disciplinary action to potential termination.

This development follows a month after new CEO Brian Niccol informed employees that they should work wherever necessary to fulfil their job responsibilities. However, he suggested that the office is typically the best place for this. The recent memo signifies a tightening of the company’s enforcement of its hybrid work policy.

Starbucks also noted that employees may request exemptions from the requirement due to physical, mental, or sensory impairments or other disabilities. "We are continuing to support our leaders as they hold their teams accountable to our existing hybrid work policy," the company stated on Monday, according to Fortune.

Since January 2023, the company has implemented a hybrid work policy introduced by former interim CEO Howard Schultz, transitioning from the remote work setup established during the pandemic. Under the current policy, most corporate employees based at the Sodo headquarters are expected to come into the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, while individual teams determine a third day for in-office work.

It is Noteworthy that to comply with the company’s hybrid policy, CEO Brian Niccol makes an extensive daily commute of 1,600 kilometres between his home in California and Starbucks’ headquarters in Seattle. This arrangement, detailed in his offer letter, includes access to a corporate jet, allowing him to meet the requirements of the hybrid work policy. Under this policy, Niccol is expected to work from the Seattle office at least three days a week, even when he is not travelling for other business obligations.