Back to Starbucks. That is the name that Brian Niccol, the current of CEO of the popular coffee shop chain, put To the plan to revitalize the company. It is an ambitious plan and that, among other things, has meant a change of course as far as teleworking is concerned. Since 2023, Starbucks workers have maintained a hybrid format Three days in the office, two at home. That will end because, soon, will be four mandatory days.
It is a novelty that is seen very differently when you go to the office in private Jet, of course. Let’s start at the beginning.
Of coffee tacos. Niccol was CEO of Taco Bell until 2018. The headquarters of this company is in Irvine, California, 15 minutes by car from Niccol’s house in Newport Beach. In 2018 he left Taco Bell to exercise as CEO in Chipotle, whose headquarters was in Denver, 1,600 kilometers from his residence. Three months after assuming the position, Chipotle changed its headquarters to Newport Beach affecting 400 people in the process. In 2024, and after revitalizing Chipotle, Niccol assumed the CEO of Starbucks With conditions that did not go unnoticed.
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Brian Niccol | Image: Starbucks
To the ophi yes, but I don’t move. The Starbucks headquarters and therefore the workplace of its CEO is in Seattle (Washington). As a company employee, he also applied the policy of going at least three days to the office. The distance that separates the headquarters from your home is 1,600 kilometers, but that is no problem because The offer contemplated that “you will not be asked to move to the headquarters of the company”.
So… It will not go by car, clearly. They are about 19 hours of journey, According to Google Mapsbut fortunately the job offer established that Niccol could dispose of the company’s private jet for “business -related trips according to the company’s travel policy, travel between its city of residence and the headquarters of the company in Seattle, Washington and its personal trips according to the company’s policies, up to a maximum amount of $ 250,000 a year.”
Image | Starbucks
Three four days. Now that we know the context, we will surely see in another way The letter that the CEO has recently published. In this text, Niccol explains that from next fiscal year employees will have to go to the office four days instead of three. Specifically, from Monday to Thursday. At the moment, this dynamic will affect the regional offices of North America, the Toronto support centers and, of course, the headquarters in Seattle.
If you are a boss, to the office. In February, Starbucks asked the VP level team and managers who worked in Seattle and Toronto. Now that requirement will also apply to support centers, whose leaders will also have to move to these cities.
And all this why? According to Niccol, the reason to reestablish this office culture is that “we work better when we are together. We share ideas more effectively, we solve difficult problems creatively and move much faster.” Between lines can be read that an increase in productivity is sought.
The CEO affirms that it understands that not everyone will agree with this measure, “but as a company based on the human connection, and given the magnitude of the change we have ahead, we believe that this is the right path for Starbucks.” So clear it has that the future goes through the office that, in its own words:
“If you decide to leave Starbucks for any reason, we respect it. To support those who decide to” leave “, we are offering a unique voluntary output program with a cash payment for the partners who make this decision.”
Two rhythms. This is not a problem for Niccol (to which this policy should also be applied). Has All the company’s resources at your disposal To travel and, according to a company spokesman, a house has been bought in Seattle. This already shows that The return to the office is made at two speeds: that of employees, which can be forced to move to a more expensive city, give up promotions or even leave the company; and that of the senior executives, who can afford to travel in a private jet or buy a house in the city that proceeds.
Cover image | Tr
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