(Again, I'm up agains the clock with this and will proof later. John, don't get mad, please. I will finish and add the last two tomorrow.)
I decided that I would try to write up 10 reasons why I won’t be selling my soul to work with a large corporation. Here are my current top ten:
1. Respect and Dignity. Starbucks has written into their mission statement, the first (order does matter) one of their guiding principles that we will all "treat each other with respect and dignity." How many times have we worked for someone, or a company, that would say they wanted this but did not actually do it? I can think of at least one example. The CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, grew up with a father who worked and worked for many companies, none of which offered him any form of dignity, nor did they respect his humanity, skills, time, or effort. He has made it a priority to create a great work environment where we all treat each other well while we are well taken care of.
2. Benefits. We are taken care of. People who work for Starbucks are not employees, they are partners. Each person who works for the company at least 6 months is automatically offered a profit sharing-like stock and real stock at discounted prices. They also provide health benefits to full-time and part-timers. AND, terminally ill health coverage for all!
3. Sustainability. Starbucks recognizes that they must be sustainable in their environmental, health and business practices. This is evident in many ways, and if you look around next time you’re in a store, you will probably see that they offer coffee grounds for you to take home and compost (they even teach you how). They do not put cup sleeves on each drink, “because it’s wasteful,” is their number one reason. The health benefits play into this by creating healthy, long-term partners. And they offer business a new vision of management that creates loyal and long-lasting partners.
4. Professional Development. Each person is able to grow and learn throughout their career with Starbucks. If you want to work your way up, go for it! If you want to go back to school , Starbucks will even help with tuition!
5. Involvement. Each “partner” is HIGHLY encouraged to be involved in their community. Whether it’s through the community events sponsored by Starbucks or as a local volunteer. If you look around your store you might just see flyers all over for AIDS walks, Cancer runs, etc. The Starbucks Foundation also provides less-advantaged communities with literacy programs.
6. High Standards. One of the guiding principles of their mission statement states that they will, “apply the highest standard of excellence to the purchasing, roasting and fresh delivery of their coffee.” In every aspect of the training I have participated in this is true. I am sure a few employees don’t care so much, but all of those I have met so far, really take pride in the quality of the coffee Starbucks uses. Those who wrote the mission statement and those who enforce it on all levels are empowered to uphold this quality at all times.
7. They aim to empower partners. From a recent experience I had, I know what it is like to work with a willing and qualified staff who are constantly up against barrier after barrier to perform because they are not offered all of the best resources. Starbucks empowers their staff daily by providing they with the tools, staff, and knowledge to do their best. A motto is “set each other up for success.” Duhh, but it really makes all the difference.
….The rest is to come later….The store closes in 2 minutes and I have to get this online. Again, I have not proof-read, but I will – tomorrow after work.
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