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Starbucks just made a huge announcement about their response to COVID-19, specifically concerning their employees’ pay. Throughout the pandemic, the coffee chain has given all employees a pay raise, amounting to an added $3 per hour.
Explaining this initial decision, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said, "It is the responsibility of every business to care for its employees during this time of uncertainty, shared sacrifice, and common cause."
However, the coffee chain has recently announced that this pay raise for employees will end at the end of May.
Despite locations reopening, available hours are limited for Starbucks employees.
The press release states, "The number of hours many of our partners were used to pre-pandemic won’t be available."
The letter acknowledges that these limitations might lead to some staff looking elsewhere for work.
However, options are still available for Starbucks workers: "To help Starbucks partners who choose to stay, understanding the limited hours available, we are extending the COVID-19 unpaid leave policy through the end of September as an option for those partners who need the safety net of Starbucks comprehensive benefits and wish to remain a Starbucks partner, while being able to access any emergency benefits they may be eligible for by their state or by Congress through the CARES Act."
Starbucks in the US and Canada is looking to their stores in China as a way to gauge their process for re-opening stores.
The press release explains, "On a daily basis, we monitor the virus’s status in each of the communities we serve, work to exceed local health officials’ recommendations to keep our partners and customers safe, and we make store-by-store decisions. We are borrowing strongly from our lessons navigating this in China, expanding options for mobile ordering and pick-up, and innovating on our store operations to serve customers responsibly."
