Customer : Our Partners (Employees)

Introducing the Armed Forces Partner Network

Kimberley T — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:34:00 GMT

Hi, my name is Kimberley Thompson. I am a member of Starbucks Coffee Company’s Global Diversity team.

I’ve noticed some ideas on My Starbucks Idea around supporting the men and women in the military. Since this seems to be on your mind, I thought I’d tell you about some of the ways Starbucks partners (employees) support the military.

For many years, Starbucks partners have actively engaged and supported men and women in the military and their families in a variety of ways. Some examples include, donating coffee, products & creating care-packages for the troops and their families. In addition to this support, Starbucks has added an Armed Forces Partner Network. This network is for all partners interested in supporting Starbucks veterans and their families. The Armed Forces Partner Network’s mission is to contribute positively to Starbucks and our communities by supporting Starbucks veterans, current service members, and their families.

The Starbucks Partner Networks Program is composed of groups who have an interest in and support for a dimension of diversity. They help drive the company’s global diversity strategy. At Starbucks, Diversity = Inclusion + Equity + Accessibility. In addition to the Armed Forces Partner Network, the company supports six other networks: Access Accessibility Network, Black Partner Network, Emerging Workforce Network, Hora del Café Network, Pride Alliance Network and Women’s Development Network.

If you would like to learn more about Starbucks Diversity efforts or to apply for a position at Starbucks, please visit us here.

Kimberley

ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVITIES AT TAZO

Keith Hutjens — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:57:00 GMT

Many ideas on MSI are about recycling and Starbucks environmental footprint. Recycling bins in all our stores is a top idea that we are working towards, but it is going to take some time. In the meantime, we would like to highlight the progress we’ve made towards our overall environmental stewardship initiatives. Tazo, Starbucks tea blending and packaging plant in Portland, Oregon, is doing good things for the environment.

First of all, Tazo purchases renewable energy RECS from wind power, equivalent to 100% of the electricity used at the Portland plant. There is also a robust recycling program in place – Tazo participates in the Portland Recycle at Work program, and has won a Recycle Works award for their efforts. Tazo has a Corporate Social Responsibility committee to manage this program with great participation from partners (employees) at the plant. Recycling is a high priority for partners along with composting lunchroom food waste and any spilled tea and spice from the plant. Cardboard and plastic from the plant are collected and recycled as well. Tazo also worked with their packaging supplier to develop a tea carton made with over 50% post-consumer fiber and eliminated the cellophane over-wrap, further reducing their packaging footprint.

Dealing with waste inside the Tazo plant is not enough for the partners; they also shut the plant down for two hours, twice a year, to pick up trash and clean up the neighborhood. Tazo actively participates in local food and blood drives to help give back to the Portland community. Nearly 30% of partners participate in the transportation alternatives program, commuting to work via bike, bus, carpool or walking rather than driving.

We look forward to sharing another progress report in the near future.

To read more about Starbucks environmental stewardship efforts visit www.starbucks.com/sharedplanet.

A Note from Starbucks Access Alliance

_sbx_lbri — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:52:00 GMT

Hi there,

I am an Idea Partner here at Starbucks working in the marketing department. I do have another role here in the company and that is being the co-president of the Starbucks Access Alliance (SAA). The SAA is a great network of people here at Starbucks whose mission is to promote equal access for all partners and customers. We connect with each other around disability issues and keep the concept of accessibility and universal design at the forefront of our daily work.

As I was going through the site and saw the Your Employees idea, it got me thinking about how proud I am to work for Starbucks. This isn’t the first time I have heard a story similar to this one. What really strikes me is that this company has a lot of soul and simply sees people as human beings.

We hear about a variety of groups that like to meet in our stores. Everyday we are trying to improve their Starbucks experience and implement a more universal store design. Take our lowered hand off planes as an example. It makes picking up your drink easier for everyone, including people who use wheelchairs, people of short stature, and the baristas handing you your drink too.

Last month each of the stores received a Braille and Large Print version of the “Make It Your Drink” brochure. They are in every one of our stores across the U.S.

I must say that I am very proud to work at Starbucks and I am excited to see what we will do in the future. We know we have done some great things but there is still a long way to go…

Thanks again for sharing!

Leigh

Believe in the Power of 10,000 … on V2V

Nancy R — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:37:00 GMT

On April 1, 2008 we launched Starbucks V2V, an online social network about community. In eight months, we've grown from 1 partner to more than 10,000 partners, customers, and community members – from one country to more than 60 countries – from one virtual store to more than 15,000 virtual stores!

Believe in the power of 10,000 partners who worked to help rebuild New Orleans just a few days ago – the power of 10,000 V2V members – the power we all have to achieve our goal of more than one million community service hours per year in the communities where we do business.

Log on to V2V at www.v2v.net/starbucks, find someone you know or who inspires you, and send them a short message to thank them for embracing innovation, standing up as individuals for the causes they care about and encouraging thousands of others to get involved and join them in creating positive change in the world. If you are already on V2V, thank you! If not, we invite you to join V2V today – registration is now open to all.

V2V plays an important role in Starbucks Shared Planet. “Starbucks and you. It’s bigger than coffee.” Learn more at starbucks.com/sharedplanet.

Under Review—Partners

MSI Team — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:12:00 GMT

Greetings Partners and Customers. There has been a lot of discussion about our dress code—certainly on the partner site, but also on the customer site. We wanted to let you all know that this idea is officially “under review”. This includes a host of ideas on the partner site from posts about tattoos to “Casual Fridays”. Stay tuned for updates!

Our Partners Wearing Name Tags or Sewn Aprons

sbx_arch — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:01:00 GMT

I'm an Idea Partner in Seattle and on the Partner Resources (a.k.a. Human Resources) team. It has been great to see the passionate discussions between our customers and partners on this topic over the past few days. I truly appreciate your honesty and different points of view—it's refreshing! As a partner and loyal customer of Starbucks, I definitely understand both perspectives on this idea. Many of you feel that adding names to faces will facilitate a better connection and make the interactions even more personal. On the other hand, some of you feel that it's too formal, it creates a fast-food feel, it's not necessary, or it's too personal.

Our store partners are the first point of contact for many of our customers. Besides the quality of our coffee drinks and products, it's the service and human connection our partners provide that keep customers coming back. As I reflect on how the human connection is created, I think of many possibilities...a smile, a hello, an acknowledgment, an introduction, an inquiry, a conversation, or a simple "thank you." Also, you may notice that we have a sign in our stores saying, "Your barista is..." This is another way for us to foster that connection. In my view, these types of actions and interactions bring a sense of belonging and the third place to our customers the moment they step in the door.

Could nametags or sewn aprons facilitate the human connection between our partners and customers? Possibly. We tested the nametag idea in the Northeast several years ago. At that time, we decided not to move forward because the feedback was that it created a "fast-food" atmosphere. It's something we’ll continue to evaluate and discuss and we’ll definitely update you if it gets implemented in the future.

Connection is what makes us a different kind of company to our customers. If you have ideas on other ways we can enhance that connection, I encourage you to share them with us! Thanks.