Starbucks Cracks The Whip On Baristas, Forcing Them To Leave Notes On Every Cup And Punishing Them If They Don't – CoffeeTalk

Starbucks has implemented a policy requiring baristas to add handwritten notes on every cup, with discipline up to termination for failure to follow the rules. This year, the company rolled out a policy requiring baristas to add handwritten notes on every cup, and failure to follow the rules can lead to write-ups or even termination. The policy is intended to improve the customer experience but has been inconsistently applied and makes their job harder.

Internal guidelines reviewed by Business Insider outline specific rules for notes and disciplinary guidelines for infractions. A serious infraction of the rules, like a profane message or repeatedly forgetting to mark a customer’s cup, can lead to termination. Starbucks prohibits the writing or printing of content on items that is inappropriate, offensive, or otherwise does not align with its Mission & Values. Partners should also not write or print content on items that advocate for a political, religious, or personal issue, even if requested by a customer.

Business Insider spoke to 14 baristas from Starbucks stores across the country about the policy. They had varying interpretations of what notes are permitted under the company guidelines, and said that the enforcement of rules around cup notes has intensified in recent months. “Minor” rule infractions include not writing on every customer’s cup, using a pen other than a Sharpie to write a note, marking the lid of a cup, or pre-marking cups before a customer places their order.

Medium infractions include writing pop culture or political references, drawings of animals, or generational slang. Serious violations of the rule are those that would likely violate other store policies or offend a reasonable person, like a barista writing “Diabetes here I come!” on a customer’s order.

Following the video of the barista declining to put Kirk’s name on a cup after the conservative activist was murdered, Starbucks clarified that the company does not restrict what names customers can request on their orders, even if the name is political. Any other political messaging remains prohibited.

Starbucks has implemented guidelines to improve customer service, aiming to bring “meaningful” moments back to customers’ days. The guidelines state that the first warning for a minor infraction is verbal coaching, followed by a write-up, a third and final warning before termination upon a fourth infraction, and a final written warning upon their first offense. If a staff member makes a minor or medium infraction and has received a final written warning any time in the last year for any reason, they will be terminated from the company. Automatic termination may also occur if the infraction is so severe that a reasonable person would be “highly offended,” such as a profane or lewd remark.

However, whether a barista is getting a verbal or written warning depends on their manager and their interpretation of the guidelines. Six baristas told Business Insider that their manager is more understanding, like, she’s actually working with us. Three baristas told Business Insider they’ve seen fellow staff members be fired or quit this year over the cup note policy.

The company’s “Back to Starbucks” campaign aims to improve employee engagement and customer connection scores since the new customer service standards were rolled out. However, Michelle Eisen, a spokesperson for the Starbucks Workers United union and a 15-year barista veteran, said that mandating baristas to write on every cup without exception makes the job harder, especially during peak hours when staff attempt to get drinks in customers’ hands in under four minutes. She said that the threat of discipline removes the chance for meaningful connection with customers since baristas are only writing the notes “under duress.”

Michael Goldberg, a professor of entrepreneurship and finance at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management, previously told Business Insider that Starbucks’ policy is an example of a company rule that aims to better connect the business with its customers but is tough to roll out at the individual or store level.

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