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As we prepare to return to the office a minimum of 3 days beginning next week, I want to share an update on what we’re doing to support your partner experience.&nbsp;First, I want to thank our Modern Workspace team for their fast and tireless work to find solutions in service of all of us.

Over the course of the coming months, we will:

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I’m also pleased to share that we will bring more team choice for common days.&nbsp;We will shift our common days in the SSC from Tuesday and&nbsp;Wednesday to one common day for all SSC partners which will remain Tuesday. The additional common day will be either Wednesday or Thursday, defined by your team at the director level. The third day remains flexible, to be determined by agreement between partner and manager.

We will use tomorrow’s SSC Connect to share resources, including team norm setting tools, tips for choosing spaces and navigating the SSC, our full suite of commute options, building amenities, and more to support you through this transition. If you are unable to join us, please be sure to review this week’s SSC Happenings Newsletter for a recap of the tools, resources and information that we’ll cover.

On behalf of the ELT, I want to thank you for the thoughtful questions and feedback you have shared in your town halls since we announced this policy. Your leaders have shared your ideas and they are informing solutions we are building as we move forward.

Your partner, Sara Kelly evp, chief partner officer

As we prepare to return to the office a minimum of 3 days beginning next week, I want to share an update on what we’re doing to support your partner experience.

Message from Sara: Supporting partners as we return to the office

Stories to inspire and nurture the human spirit

Starbucks Stories

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Starbucks Corporation

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Two-day gathering designed to build capability and confidence company leaders need to transform their stores and partner (employee) experience

SEATTLE – Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) today welcomed 2,000 retail leaders from across the U.S. and Canada for a District Manager+ Leadership Experience in Seattle, Wa. Designed to build the leadership excellence required for retail leaders to lead their stores and store partner (employees) though the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2022/starbucks-enters-new-era-of-growth-driven-by-an-unparalleled-reinvention-plan/">company’s Reinvention</a>, this gathering marks the first convening of its kind since 2014, bringing together District Managers, Regional Directors, Regional Vice Presidents from Company-Operated, Licensed Store and Siren Retail businesses in the U.S. and Canada, as well as leaders from the company’s partner resources organization.

Over the course of two days, retail leaders will hear from regional and global leadership, and participate in capability-building forums. In the welcoming remarks, Sara Trilling, executive vice president, Starbucks North America, addressed the opportunity. “We must all think of ourselves as brand new – for the next few days we’ve got to get into a growth mindset... what worked yesterday may not work today,” Trilling said. “We have to think differently. What an incredible advantage we have this diverse and rich mix of partners to tap into it’s the collection of your experiences working side-by-side all together, driving our reinvention and bringing every store and partner along with us.”

The leadership convening is a demonstration of Starbucks continued investment in the company’s partners and signals a defining moment in the Reinvention journey. Specific trainings and conversations will focus on mastering craft, building connections, communicating with impact and problem solving. Leaders will go back to their markets later this week equipped with the clarity, skills and agency they need to lead, inspire and nurture their stores and store partners, and a deep understanding that they are part of something bigger and their accountability to the enterprise priorities.

Earlier this week, Starbucks ceo Howard Schultz shared in a letter to Starbucks partners, “If you’ve been with Starbucks for any length of time, you’ve probably heard me talk about love. I love our partners. I love the culture we’ve built. And I love the purpose we serve as a company. Love and responsibility are the reasons I returned to Starbucks in April. Most companies don’t center their business philosophy on love. But it’s what has always been the core of our company – love not only for our 450,000 partners around the world, but also love for our customers, love for coffee and connection, and love and respect for coffee farmers. I believe it’s what drives our company’s great success. It’s what makes customers choose us, again and again, when they have so many other alternatives. It is built not by a single action but compounding momentum over time. Decision upon decision, action upon action, turn by turn – each loop adding to the collective effect.”

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Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than 34,000 stores worldwide, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at stories.starbucks.com or <a href="http://www.starbucks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.starbucks.com</a>.

Company leaders are attending a two-day gathering designed to build capability and confidence needed to transform their stores and the partner (employee) experience.

Starbucks Convenes 2,000 Retail Leaders from Across U.S. and Canada to Enable Leadership Excellence as Company Reinvents for the Future

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Zulima Espinel, chief global public policy counsel, shares resources for DACA recipients

We are proud that 250,000 partners across the country reflect the diverse communities we serve. Every day, you create welcoming spaces for each other and our customers and every day we are inspired to extend that sense of belonging beyond the four walls of our stores.&nbsp;

Inclusion is inherent to nurturing the human spirit and this is foundational to our long support for Dreamers, including our partners who are recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA.&nbsp;Earlier this month the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit decided DACA is unlawful.&nbsp;While this decision did not immediately end the program for current DACA recipients,&nbsp;the program is at risk as it continues to move through the judicial system, likely up to the Supreme Court.&nbsp;

At Starbucks we will continue to use our voice and resources to support Dreamers and partners who are DACA recipients– <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2017/letter-from-howard-schultz-to-senators-lindsey-graham-and-richard-durbin/">just as we have since 2017</a>. We will continue to offer benefits and support to partners who are DACA recipients. Partners can also connect with an Immigration Advisor – confidentially and at no cost – to help with questions related to navigating the program and any changes to the law.

We will also continue to advocate. Just today, Starbucks joined dozens of businesses to urge Congress to come together and pass bipartisan legislation that will provide a long-term solution and legal path to citizenship for all DACA recipients and the permanent protection they deserve to continue to live and contribute to the United States. You can read the full letter <a href="https://www.coalitionfortheamericandream.us/daca-fifth-circuit-response/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.

I know many of you are passionate about this program so here are some tools and resources available:

We will continue to support and advocate for Dreamers so they can live, work, and dream in the country that they call home – not only because it is the right thing to do but because the communities we serve will be stronger for it.

Zulima Espinel, chief global public policy counsel

A letter to Starbucks partners (employees) from Zulima Espinel, chief global public policy counsel, sharing resources for DACA recipients.

Letter to Starbucks Partners: Our Support and Advocacy for Dreamers

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Starbucks hosted its biennial Investor Day on Tuesday; here are some of the day's highlights

Starbucks hosted its biennial Investor Day today at the Starbucks Support Center in Seattle, where Howard Schultz, interim chief executive officer, Rachel Ruggeri, chief financial officer, and other members of the Starbucks leadership team showcased the company’s Reinvention plan. They discussed the actions and investments the company is making to enhance the Starbucks Experience for partners and customers and drive accelerated long-term growth.

Highlights shared by the company include:

1. Reinvention plan positions Starbucks for the next chapter of growth

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The Reinvention plan is ushering Starbucks into a new era of growth, underpinned by a renewed focus on the foundations of its business – partners, stores and customers. Investing in this powerful “Triple Shot for Growth” will continue to differentiate the Starbucks brand and experience. The company announced today that it expects <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2022/starbucks-enters-new-era-of-growth-driven-by-an-unparalleled-reinvention-plan/">deliver 10-12 percent net revenue growth</a> and 15-20 percent net earnings growth annually over the next three years, surpassing the 10-12 percent range shared at the last Starbucks Investor Day in 2020. This reflects acceleration in each and every building block of our growth, powered by Starbucks green apron partners around the globe.

2. Starbucks is focused on reinventing the partner experience

Company leaders shared commitments to radically improve the retail partner experience, making changes to focus on helping partners thrive at work, as individuals and together through new tools such as wage innovation, well-being benefits and personalized career mobility. It’s paying off as Starbucks has started to see results with retention rates steadily rising and on track to return to and exceed pre-pandemic levels.

3. The Starbucks brand is building on strength

The Starbucks brand is more relevant and differentiated than ever before with the number one market share and brand affinity. It’s a strong, relevant brand that is poised for growth. Starbucks has the highest brand affinity among Gen Z and multicultural consumers, who also make up more than half of the customer base. And, among multicultural consumers, Starbucks is the market leader on brand affinity, visits and is the first choice among away-from home coffee drinkers that identify as LatinX, African American and Asian American.

4. Going Global: The digital Starbucks experience is coming to all stores

With mobile orders accounting for 25 percent of customer transactions in the U.S., Starbucks is elevating the digital Starbucks Experience, including through providing real-time updates in the app and a dedicated mobile order pick-up lane. By making Mobile Order &amp; Pay more personalized and effortless, Starbucks will continue to drive relevancy for customers and growth in mobile orders.

To meet growing customer demand, Starbucks is committed to expanding its digital Starbucks Experience to all locations, from airports and grocery stores to international markets, and Starbucks Connect is the new technology that is making this possible. With a consistent digital experience across Starbucks entire portfolio of stores, customers will get a holistic Starbucks Rewards experience, including Mobile Order &amp; Pay and a wider arrange of star redemption opportunities, no matter which Starbucks they visit.

5. A purpose-built approach to meeting customer needs

Over the next three years, Starbucks sees continued opportunity for purpose-built store growth as demand for the brand increases. This includes increasing the number of drive-thrus while also expanding the number of stores that are “purpose built,” such as delivery only and curbside pick-up stores. In addition, this design approach will help modernizing physical stores to serve the increasing demand while creating an environment that is inclusive and accessible, through the lens of sustainability. It’s all part of meeting customers whenever and wherever they are.

6. Harnessing global store growth opportunities

Starbucks is rapidly expanding its global footprint and expects to approach 45,000 stores by the end of 2025 (up from nearly 35,000 now) and 55,000 stores by 2030 – this means opening eight new stores a day. Starbucks is already well on its way; in China, Starbucks has increased its footprint nearly 10-fold to 6,000 stores, and is continuing to grow, as it targets increasing store count by 50 percent to reach 9,000 stores by fiscal year 2025.

7. New, innovative equipment will give baristas more time for customer connections

Starbucks is introducing more efficient <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2022/recipe-for-reinvention-starbucks-unveils-innovations-for-better-customer-barista-experiences/">state-of-the-art equipment</a> putting better tools in the hands of partners and, in turn, driving an improved partner and customer experience. Starbucks has developed a redesigned Cold Beverage Station, which reduces the time and number of steps to make a cold beverage. It has also begun rolling out new Clover Vertica™ equipment, which will freshly grind and brew a cup of coffee, on demand, in 30 seconds.

8. Cold Brew took center stage at the morning coffee tasting

Green apron partners (employees) offered hand crafted, high quality arabica coffee to Investor Day participants, highlighting the coffee and craft at the center of the Starbucks Experience. Attendees tasted Starbucks popular Cold Brew beverage, which has a unique flavor profile that is unlocked by a blending, roasting and steeping process

Photos by Josh Trujillo and Connor Surdi / Starbucks Stories

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Starbucks hosted its biennial Investor Day on Tuesday; here are some of the day's highlights.

What you need to know about Starbucks 2022 Investor Day

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Debbie Stroud and Denise Nelsen, senior vice presidents of U.S. operations, shared this letter to Starbucks partners on creating a safe, welcoming and kind third place.

You’ve been open and honest with us about your experience – from what you need to feel your best at work, to the many inspirational and heartfelt examples of how you are creating memorable moments for one another and our customers. You’re also seeing firsthand the challenges facing our communities – personal safety, racism, lack of access to healthcare, a growing mental health crisis, rising drug use, and more. With stores in thousands of communities across the country, we know these challenges can, at times, play out within our stores too. We read every incident report you file – it’s a lot.

We want you to know that creating a safe, welcoming, and kind third place is our top priority. Because simply put, we cannot serve as partners if we don’t first feel safe at work. The question on our minds is: How do we continue to show up for our communities while protecting our partners?

This is the most important work ahead – and your input directly shapes our policies, programs and benefits to ensure you feel more supported and empowered, including:

We hear the challenges facing you in stores, and we all have a lot more to still figure out – but we know we’ll get there because YOU have shown us, time and again, that our stores can be a place of hope, optimism and community for all. As we move forward, we will continue learning together, and share regular updates on this important work.

Debbie Stroud and Denise Nelsen, senior vice presidents of U.S. operations, shared this letter to Starbucks partners on creating a safe, welcoming and kind third place.

Message to Starbucks partners: Safety in our stores - Starbucks Stories

Message to Starbucks partners: Safety in our stores

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In a letter to Starbucks partners, chief executive officer Howard Schultz shared a set of principles and a new partnership for the reinvention of the next chapter of the company.&nbsp;

The state of the world, the conditions of our stores and communities, and the hopes and dreams and lives of each of our partners are top of mind as I write you this morning. Since my return in April, I have been learning so much through open, honest and often vulnerable conversations and collaboration sessions across stores, manufacturing plants and in the Starbucks Support Center.

It’s clear we’re living in a changing world where economic, societal and operational pressures are colliding. We’re seeing unprecedented cultural division and economic trauma – all while navigating a pandemic, and it seems as though every day there is a new crisis to address.

All of this affects our partners. All of this affects Starbucks as a company. And all of this deeply affects millions of customers who visit our stores every day. Our stores serve as windows into America and through them we see the magnitude of the hardships and the ways in which people’s needs are changing.

It has long been my deep belief that together we can – and do – play an important part in creating positive change, for partners and our communities. However, like so much of the world right now, the Starbucks business as it is built today is not set up to fully satisfy the evolving behaviors, needs and expectations of our partners or customers. It is not designed for the future we aspire to for ourselves and the communities in which we serve.

Today, we find ourselves in a position where we must modernize and transform the Starbucks experience in our stores and recreate an environment that is relevant, welcoming and safe, and where we uplift one another with dignity, respect and kindness. We need to reinvent Starbucks for the future. And to be successful, it will take our collective courage to begin again.&nbsp;

We are now laying the foundation for the next Starbucks – a company even more true to our shared mission: To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.

Many teams are already hard at work to build this next Starbucks. We have started gathering over the last weeks to galvanize around significant reinvention efforts designed to improve the experience of partners and customers and tuned to the health of our communities and our business.

Our Reinvention plan begins with five Bold Moves. We will:

Re-envision how we bring our mission to life.

Renew the well-being of retail partners by radically improving their experience.

Reimagine our store experience for greater connection, ease and a planet positive impact.

Reconnect with our customers by delivering memorable and personalized moments.

Redesign partnership by creating new ways to thrive together.

We will unveil specific programs and initiatives to deliver upon this set of Bold Moves in the weeks ahead.

The additional work required will take shape over time and continue be created together – across our stores, our roasting plants and the Starbucks Support Center – between each of us and also with the customers and stakeholders we serve. &nbsp;

Today, I want to share a preview of how we are thinking about the redesigning of partnership at Starbucks – a partnership where we each have voice and agency in bringing forward perspectives and ideas, and shared accountability for our actions and impact.

Our partners’ own stories, experiences and ideas as shared through collaboration sessions, surveys, open forums and direct conversations with their leaders have inspired a set of principles for a new partnership at Starbucks. These are the principles that will guide us forward:

Each of us has an ability each day to put these principles into practice. And we will use the weeks ahead to provide you with greater clarity around the existing and new resources and programs available to you and your leaders for support.

Partners, we have created a great and enduring company that has overcome many challenges over the last 50 years. This rich history is built with a long line of partners who have dared to make Starbucks a different kind of company. With each era, we each make our contribution.&nbsp;

The work of our Reinvention is ongoing – and all Starbucks partners who believe in our purpose and potential as a company can make a significant contribution in building our path forward.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Smiling barista waves from behind the bar

In a letter to Starbucks partners, chief executive officer Howard Schultz shared a set of principles and a new partnership for the reinvention of the next chapter of the company. 

A message from Howard Schultz: The next chapter of Starbucks Reinvention

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Following several weeks of tragic violence at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas; a church in Laguna Woods, California; and a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, Starbucks partners (employees) from all over the country gathered in a Partner Family Forum on Thursday. To grieve together, to express what they’d written or said to their families, to share resources around civic engagement, to vow to continue to remain in community and to demonstrate support and hope for each other.

“Where do we go from here? What’s next? We have to move forward,” urged Dennis Brockman, Starbucks chief inclusion and diversity officer. “We cannot allow hate, violence to distract us. We must move forward and we have the power to change this. We cannot normalize, tolerate and accept this. We must rise together, and we are 400,000 (Starbucks partners) strong. We have a voice.”

Thousands of Starbucks store and support partners joined the hybrid forum virtually or in person to spend time together and listen to each other in the wake of the recent mass shootings. Howard Schultz, Starbucks chief executive officer, spoke from the New York Regional Office, while Brockman talked at the Starbucks Support Center in Seattle. Other partners joined from various locations around the country. &nbsp;

“We’re here today because it’s important for us to do this, take a step back from our daily work and responsibility to be together,” Schultz said, “and to be kind to each other, love each other, respect each other and hope for a better day.”

Traci York, a vice president of regional operations, said Starbucks partners in Uvalde and nearby communities like Eagle Pass and San Antonio are <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2022/a-message-to-partners-from-howard-safe-communities/">showing up</a> with food and drinks for hospitals, families and first responders.

“We’re all unbelievably angry, tired of all of this (but) the humanity for which our partners show up has been amazing,” York said. “Know that we're going to be here and we're going to continue to be here. We will stay really close and show love and support for the town and everyone here.”

Kathryn and Adam Hallberg, siblings and Starbucks partners, remembered their grandmother – who was among 23 people killed during the 2019 shooting at a Walmart in their hometown, El Paso, Texas – and shared how they began to heal. Kathryn Hallberg, a store manager in San Antonio, said she continues to pattern herself after her grandmother – a single mother of seven children, “a wonderful human being... very much a matriarch, a strong woman.”

“Although we miss them and it hurts, there is healing, there are ways to make it better,” she said. “Part of the ways are being here at Starbucks, being an ally, living our Mission and Values every day, and providing that opportunity for many other people… That’s my ask, to continue to be the community we need and to hold on to each other.”

Ken Mcdonough, a district manager in Houston, said his 70-year-old mother, who is Chinese, was afraid to travel to see her newborn grandchild, in part because of the recent attacks against Asian American women. But he implored partners to nonetheless look for the good in others and in the world – and to be part of helping create positive change.

“We can’t be divided,” he said. “Sometimes, we need to shut down the hate and look for the good. We should and must be part of that good. We can learn from each other, we can be kind, we can support each other, and we can stand up for each other.”

As they spoke, hundreds of other partners poured their thoughts and emotions into the virtual chat spaces – poems they’d written to their families, conversations they’d had with their kids, ideas for what it means for a corporation to take the lead on change, links to civic engagement, opinions on gun control, words of encouragement for the speakers.

“Connect with each other, partners!” said one. “Gather over coffee. Gather on your back porches. Gather together and look at this problem. There is magic when we come together. We don’t need to start with the answers… we just need to start and the answers will find us.”

“We do have a role to play,” said Schultz at the closing. “We have an extraordinary platform.”

Starbucks partners standing together for the Partner Open Forum inside Starbucks headquarters

After recent mass shootings, thousands of partners (employees) met in-person and virtually Thursday to pour out ideas and emotions, and talk about how to move forward and take meaningful action.

‘Rise together’: After mass shootings, Starbucks partners gather to grieve, offer support

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This week, Starbucks announced <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2022/highlights-from-starbucks-1-billion-partner-store-investments-and-the-story-behind-them/">a series of new investments</a> in partners including the return of Coffee Master training and black aprons, increased pay for U.S. store partners, a new Starbucks partner app, increased training time and more. &nbsp;

The investments were inspired by partner feedback through surveys, internal channels like Workplace and the Partner Hub, as well as 30 collaboration sessions held with retail partners and Starbucks leaders over the last month, where partners shared ideas on what they wanted the next chapter of Starbucks to be. This is the start of a new partnership to create the company’s future together.

On Wednesday, Howard Schultz, Starbucks chief executive officer, and other leaders spoke to nearly 9,000 partners virtually and in person during an open forum to talk about the new investments and the path ahead.

“Let's bring back the moments that are joyful,” said Schultz. “Let's remind people of who we are, who we have been, and who we will be again. And so, the investments we're going to make in the company are historic.”

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Here are highlights from how partners responded on social media and internal channels:

“So excited that we're bringing back more coffee knowledge, coffee master, more training for our partners!!!!”

“Yes, Coffee Master! The heart and soul of Starbucks!”

“I love the investments that are being made, they are thought out. Especially the training/re-training. It's imperative.”

“This is the Starbucks that hired me, and I remember. Thank you.”

“YES! I love when Howard comes back front and center, but he cannot do it forever. How do we ensure that we do not lose track again?”

“That training increase is huge!”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

“WOW, 40 hours of training!!, the investment is huge!

“We all make mistakes, it's about LEARNING from them!! &lt;3”

“Investing in partners = Investing in Customers = Investing in Shareholders”

“(This is) a historic moment in the history of Starbucks. I am so proud to be a 27-year partner.”

Watch video excerpts from the Starbucks partner open forum

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Starbucks announced a series of partner investments this week. Here’s what partners had to say.

‘A historic moment’: U.S. store partners at Starbucks respond to raises, new investments

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Dear Partners: Over the past month, I’ve traveled the country and met with thousands of you from our retail stores and all five roasting plants as we embark on co-creating the future of Starbucks. The conversations we had were both humbling and inspiring. I heard about the challenges and frustrations you have faced. I heard how hard it has been during the pandemic, and the strain caused by accelerating demand and customer behaviors that have changed. I heard how your experience doesn’t always feel like the Starbucks you used to know or thought it would be.

You also voiced a great deal of hope: hope that meaningful change is possible; hope that Starbucks will restore our leadership in offering new and innovative investments that truly make a difference in your lives; and hope that we will reintroduce joy and connection back into the partner experience and make you proud.

The most important thing we must do in this moment is affirm unequivocally that to be a partner means:

As a direct result of your feedback, we are now making additional investments to lift up Starbucks partners and the store experience, contributing to the $1 billion in investments we are committing to the partner and store experience this year alone. Some of the new and more immediate changes you can expect are:

That’s just the start. We are also prioritizing and accelerating investments in equipment and technology, enhancements to digital tipping, a financial stability toolkit benefit, and recognition and career development, all with your input. Our history shows that working together is always the best way to transform and elevate the experience we deliver to you, to our customers and to the communities we serve.

As I shared with you last month, love and responsibility are what brought me back to Starbucks: my love of the company and my deep responsibility to our partners and shareholders. Hearing from so many of you since my return has only deepened my commitment and affirmed the need to take bold action to restore your trust and belief in Starbucks. I could not be more optimistic or confident in our next chapter that is now underway.

Onward with gratitude, Howard

Two baristas smiling at each other with a pour over

“Hearing from so many of you since my return has only deepened my commitment and affirmed the need to take bold action to restore your trust and belief in Starbucks,” wrote Schultz in a letter announcing new investments in partners.

Letter from Starbucks ceo Howard Schultz: Investing in our shared future

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For the week of April 25, Starbucks senior leaders and chief executive officer Howard Schultz traveled around the country to listen, learn and exchange ideas with store partners (employees) in collaboration sessions that will shape the future of the company. This week, collaboration sessions were in San Diego, Dallas, Boston, New York, Atlanta, Schaumburg, Illinois, and are continuing Friday in Maryland and San Francisco.

Co-creating benefits for partners of all ages

In his 12 years at Starbucks, Vic feels like he’s taken advantage of several significant partner (employee) benefits: a career-development opportunity to be the first manager of the downtown Disney Starbucks store in Anaheim, Calif.; a degree through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan; and tens of thousands of dollars in reimbursements as he and his wife went through adoption and in vitro fertilization.

“It’s what makes me proud to be a partner, it’s absolutely amazing,” said Vic, now a store manager in San Diego. “But the reality is that not all of our benefits apply to every single partner.

“We need to start reevaluating what some of our younger partners want in terms of benefits so that they stay with the company longer, and they feel proud 12, 15 years down the road, like I feel.”

Vic was one of 16 store partners who shared their thoughts at a collaboration session Wednesday in San Diego, as Starbucks partners and leaders continue to meet in facilitated groups across the country to re-imagine and co-create the future of the company. The meeting took place in an upstairs conference room at the Feeding San Diego food bank, a partner in Starbucks FoodShare program.

Like most of the sessions, the time in San Diego was split in half, with the first spent sitting in a circle reflecting on the current retail experience and the second standing up – workshopping, imagining and discussing solutions. The group focused on the themes of more relevant benefits and the eroding partner experience, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic.&nbsp;

'Creating uplifting human connection in a world that needs it.’

As he reflected with the group, Starbucks chief marketing officer Brady Brewer, told them, “The past two years have taught us so much about where we’ve invested and where we haven’t, and what we need to do to be who we want as a company.”

After the session ended, Brewer continued the conversation with a barista who’s worked part-time for 17 years. She told him she’d love to see a thank you to all the store managers who’ve made it through the pandemic.

“That hit me,” Brewer said. “We need to meaningfully honor what we’ve been through together and ensure that our partners in the stores feel truly appreciated for all they have done and continue to do each day.

"There’s so much we can do as a company to have a positive impact on this world,” Brewer said. “I don’t know of any other brand at our scale that puts human connection at the center of its purpose. I think there’s going to be an increasing premium on genuine human connection over time. That is one of the most exciting opportunities for Starbucks: creating uplifting human connection in a world that needs it.”

Close-up of colored sticky notes with handwritten suggestions

As Starbucks senior leaders and chief executive officer Howard Schultz wrap up a month of dozens of collaboration sessions with store partners around the country, they’re focusing on taking ideas and turning them into action.

Week in Review: After a month of listening and collaboration sessions, Starbucks looks to the future

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For the week of April 18, Starbucks chief executive officer Howard Schultz and other senior leaders continued to meet with partners around the country during sessions designed to co-create the next chapter of the company. At each session, partners talked about their day-to-day realities with leaders and shared their hopes and ideas for the company.

When Bria joined Starbucks as a barista in Bronxville, N.Y., almost eight years ago, she remembers how her store manager at the time, Manny, created an environment that felt like something more than work.

“He was one of those managers that was inspiring,” she said Wednesday. “It was really not just a work environment. It was a safe haven. I always said if I were to move up, I wanted my store to feel like that as well.”

She had the vision for what she wanted to create and, when she became a store manager, more than four years ago, that’s exactly what she did. “I made it a place where partners could come if they needed to, where partners were safe, where partners felt like they always had a voice,” she said.

Bria shared her story during conversation in White Plains, N.Y., with other Starbucks partners and leaders on how to co-create the Starbucks experience. The sessions, which are happening around the country, are designed for partners to give feedback – and also dream of the company they want to build as Starbucks enters a new phase. As Bria created in her own store, they are a place where partners truly have a voice – and leaders are listening.

In addition to New York, Starbucks leaders this week also talked with partners from stores in Orlando, Fla., and at the Starbucks roasting plants in South Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Collaboration sessions were also held throughout Canada.

During an open forum at the York, Penn., plant, partners shared ideas for improving retention, pay and training – topics that have been <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2022/week-in-review-starbucks-partners-share-ideas-on-restoring-trust/">raised in collaboration sessions and visits</a> since they began. In a session Tuesday in Florida, a partner who was hired right before the pandemic and saw how the company had to pivot quickly to more “to go” service, shared hopes that now Starbucks could return to focusing more on coffee culture and being able to share tastings with customers. “I’d love to be able to share that and have time to be able to share that with everybody on my team,” the partner said.

Partners create their ideal Starbucks

During the collaboration session In White Plains, about 25 miles north of Manhattan, the 15 store partners were a mix of baristas, including some in role for just a few months, and seasoned shift supervisors and managers. During the more than three-hour session inside a hotel conference room, they were asked for their ideas to build their ideal Starbucks store from the ground up, and to identify changes to current practices that could improve their professional and personal lives and make them feel more supported.

They wrote their ideas on sticky notes, put them on a scroll on the wall and “upvoted” their favorites with green dot stickers. Among the recommendations they discussed:

‘What happens next is what builds trust’

During the Florida session, Schultz apologized to store partners for “not keeping up with demand and putting you in a situation where there is anxiety and pressure. I can promise you that we are doing our best to try and accelerate these ideas and the other ideas we’ve heard to make things better.”

Marcus Eckensberger, regional vice president for Northeast – Region 8, who attended the New York session Wednesday, acknowledged, “It’s OK to listen and it’s great, but what happens next is what builds trust, what builds value.”

When the White Plains session ended, the partners grabbed box lunches as they left the meeting. In a hallway, Bria shared her aspiration for the company.

“My hope for Starbucks is that we are equipped with transformational leaders,” she said. “My hope is that every single partner can have the same story as me, where they feel like they had a leader that really listened to them, they had a leader that helped them believe in the company, and they had a leader that helped them believe in themselves.”

Howard Schultz posing with group of people, all smiling

Starbucks ceo Howard Schultz and other senior leaders continued to meet with partners around the country this week.

Starbucks Partners