Return to office or face the sack, Starbucks employees told

Starbucks has become the latest company to toughen their return-to-office (RTO) mandate, telling about 3,500 corporate employees that they must be in the office at least three times a week.

According to a memo seen by Bloomberg News, Starbucks will implement a “standardised process” to hold employees accountable if they do not abide by the coffee chain’s RTO policy. Consequences are reportedly “up to, and including, separation”, the email said.

Starbucks said its expectations for hybrid employees had not changed and that holiday, sick time and business travel are excluded from the calculation. Employees can also request an exemption from the mandate due to physical, mental, sensory impairment or another disability, the company said.

“We are continuing to support our leaders as they hold their teams accountable to our existing hybrid work policy,” Starbucks said in a statement on October 28.

Starbuck’s memo comes two months after the appointment of Brian Niccol as CEO, who has been given a corporate jet to commute back and forth between his home in California and Starbuck’s Seattle offices more than 1,600km away.

Bloomberg had reported that several employees said they did not care where the CEO was based if he did not crack down on in-office requirements.

In Singapore, tech company Grab earlier this month mandated that employees return to office five days a week, starting on December 2.

READ MORE: Grab employees told to return to office five days a week

In an email to employees, CEO Anthony Tan said, “Increasing face-to-face collaboration will accelerate progress and enhance integration across our ecosystem and business units. Returning to a five-day work week aligns with our goals to do more for our mission and to drive faster growth.”

Amazon, meanwhile, continues to push ahead with its RTO policy, telling employees to quit if they do not wish to work in-office five days a week. As the RTO tug of war heats up, these mandates are unlikely to be the last as employees face up to the prospect that working remotely is gradually becoming a thing of the past.