Starbucks Cracks Down on Barista Notes on Cups: Coaching, Termination

The viral video of a Starbucks barista declining to put “Charlie Kirk” on a Customer’s Cup, Citting Corporate Policy, Has Brought Scrutiny to the Company’s Requirement that staff write on Every Beverage.

The mandate, intended to improve the Customer Experience, is a source of frustration for some baristas – Because failing to do it, or wringing the work Thing, can have consequents.

Internal Guidelines Review by Business Insider Outline Specific Rules for Notes and Disciplinary Guidelines for Infractions. A Serious Infraction of the Rules, Like A Profane Message or Rekeatedly Forgetting to Mark A Customer’s Cup, Can Lead to Termination.

“Starbucks Prohibits the Writing or Printing of Content on Items is inapppropriate, Offensive, or otherwise does not align with Our Mission & Values,” A Page from Starbucks Store Operating Manual Reads.

“Partners Should Also Not Write or Print Content on Items that Advocates for A Political, Religious, OR Personal Issue, if Requested by a Customer.”

Business Insider Spoke to 14 Baristas from Starbucks Storys Across the Country About the Policy. They hading varying interpretations of what notes are permerted under the company guide, and said that the enforcement of rules around cup has intensified in recent months.

“I HAVE WITNESSED A COUPLE OF DOCK VERSULAL COACHINGS, INCLUDING WITH, IT DIDN’T CATCH Two Cups that the barista MAKING THE DRINKS FORGOT,” A minnesota-baed barista ha has Workbucks for seven years told business inSide.

Starbucks Declined to Comment.

DISCIPLINE FOR NOT WRITING ON CUPS – OR WRITING The Wrong Thing

IT’S not unusual for a Company of Starbucks’ Size – With More than 350,000 Employees Worldwide – to Set Clear Standards for How Staff Should Interact with Customers and Represent the Brand. Businesses often have detailed roules with Corresponding Disciplinary Structures to ENSURE CONSISTENCY, EFFICIency, and A Welcoming Environment, Particularly In Large Organizations Where Practices Could Otherwise Widelly Across Locations.

The Guidelines Reviewed by Business Insider Indicate that “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-Marching Cups a Customer Places Their Order.

Medium Include Writing Pop Culture or Political References, Drawings of Animals, Or Generational Slang.

“They Say No Animals, Because It Might Be Takn the Wrong Way. But to Kids Wauld Come in, I used to work a little cat or a dog on their cup and, you know, they love it,” a barista in -calif. “Now I can’t do anymore. I Might Get Written up.”

Serious violations of the rule are those than that woully Violate Other Store police or offend a reasonable person – like a barista wring “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 conservatives Activist was murdered, stars clarified that the company does not restrict what Names Customers Can Request on their Orders, if the Name Is Political. Any Other Political Messaging Remains Prohibited.

“We aim to be a community Coffeouse where the Feels Welcome, SO we have previously provided guidance to our partners to respectful ps the customer to use a Different name wen attempting to use political slogans or phrases in place of the name,” Starbucks “,” Starbucks “. Wednesday. “We are clarifying with our team now names, on their Own, can be used by customers on their café order, as they wish.”

Accounting to the Guidelines Reviewed by Business Insider, the First Warning for A Minor Infraction, SO Long as a barista has haad appropriate training and received no Other recentive action, is verbal coaching. A Second Warning Leads to a Write-up. A THIRD AND FINAL WARNING IS ISSUED DIFT TERMINATION UPON A FOURTH INFRACTION.

Medium Offenses Automatically Receive A Written Warning, and Serious Violations Receive a Final Warning Upon Their First Offense.

The guidelines show that if a staff member mast a minor or medium infraction and has reciped a final 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.

But, as with many corplate rules across companies, whereather a barista is getting a verbal or wrinka warning depen on their manager and their interpretation of the Guidelines, Six Baristas Told Business Insider.

“My manager is more understanding, like, she’s actually working with us,” A california-based barista haen at the company for a year, Told Business Insider. “A LOT of Managers, be Workhed in Other Stores, Don’t Really Work With the Employees and Just Kind of Sit in the Back and Wait for You To Mess Up.”

Three Baristas Told Business Insider they’ve Seen Fellow Staff Members befered or quit this year over the cup policy.

An Attempt at Customer Connection

Starbucks’ Cup Writing Guidelines were implemented as part of the Company’s “Back to Starbucks” Campaign. In the Company’s Q3 Earnings Report, CEO Brian Niccol Said that Employee Engagement and Customer Connection Scores have improked the new Customer Service Were Rolled Out.

In a memo to staff, previously reported by Business Insider, Niccol Described the Return of Cup Notes – Who Were More Prominent on Starbucks before the Company Began Printed Order Stickers Nearly Ago – As Part of His Effort “Moming Moment” Customers’ days.

Michelle Eisen, A Spokesperson for the Starbucks Workers United and a 15-Yaar veteran, Told Business Insider that wen she began at the Company, the handwritten not to that that the barista kew what beverage to make. Once Order Stickers Started Being Used, Said the Company Did “Lose Some of the Personality” that made it popular.

Eisen said that mandating baristas to work on every cup with the exception of the Job Harder, especally during peak hours, when staff attempt to get drinks in customers’ hands in under the four minutes. She said that the thread of discipline Removes the Chance for Meaningful Connection with Customers Sine Baristas Are Only Writing the Notes “Under Duress.”

“There’s No Sincery in that,” Eisen Said. “Now You’ve Got a Manager Staring You Down While You’re Making Drinks to Make Sure You Stop in BetWeen Drink to Write Sort of Message With A Sharpie. It’nly Increasing Wait Times, and it is not helping with just the overall environment with the story.” “

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 with Its Customers Customers to roll out at the individual or store level.

The Increas Visibity Around the viral incidents, Goldberg Said, Behooves Starbucks Executives to Consider the Question: “How Committed Are You To Doing Notes? Becausee of Think they’re Just Having to Hoving the Tension.”

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