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The
Seattle-based company said that all corporate “people leaders”
must be based in either Seattle or Toronto within 12 months.
That is a change from February, when it required vice presidents
to relocate to Seattle or Toronto.
Starbucks said individual employees working under those leaders
would not be asked to relocate. But the company said all hiring
for future roles and lateral moves will require employees to be
based in Seattle or Toronto.
“We are reestablishing our in-office culture because we do our
best work when we’re together. We share ideas more effectively,
creatively solve hard problems, and move much faster,” Niccol
wrote in the letter.
Niccol said affected workers who choose not to relocate will be
eligible for a one-time voluntary exit program with a cash
payment.
While many workers grew to enjoy working from home during the
pandemic, the call for workers to return to offices full-time
has been growing over the past year. Major employers such as
Amazon, AT&T and the federal government have required employees
to work in company sites five days per week. Competition for
fully-remote jobs is fierce.
Starbucks spokeswoman Lori Torgerson said she didn't have a
count of employees who are currently working as “people leaders”
or are working remotely. Starbucks has 16,000 corporate support
employees worldwide, but that includes coffee roasters and
warehouse staff.
Niccol was not required to relocate to Seattle when he was hired
to lead Starbucks last August. Instead, the company said it
would help him set up an office near his home in Newport Beach,
California, and would give him the use of a corporate jet to
commute to Seattle.
Since then, Niccol has bought a home in Seattle and is
frequently seen at the company's headquarters, Torgerson said.
___
AP Business Writer Cathy Bussewitz contributed from New York.
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