Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said the coffee giant will require many of its employees to work out of office for a minimum four days a week, from the current three, as part of a new policy expected to kick in later this year.
The policy would include common days of work from Monday to Thursday, applicable to Seattle and Toronto support centers as well as regional officers in North America, Niccol said in a message shared with partners on the company’s website on Monday.
Niccol, who will complete a year in the job in less than two months, has been steering Starbucks back to its coffeehouse roots by focusing on enhancing in-store experience and reducing dependence on mobile and to-go orders.
“Being in person also helps us build and strengthen our culture. As we work to turn the business around, all these things matter more than ever,” Niccol said.
“We want leaders and people managers to be physically present with their teams,” he added.
The four-day office work policy is expected to take effect from September 29.
In February, the coffee chain operator asked the remotely working vice president level leadership to begin relocating to Seattle or Toronto. It is now extending this requirement to all support center people leaders, who are expected to move within 12 months.
Starbucks has been accelerating the roll out of new staffing and service model across company-owned North American stores to revive sales growth after struggling in the face of rising inflation and economic uncertainty.
(Reporting by Anuja Bharat Mistry in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
