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When Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol walks into a Starbucks store, he\u2019s there for more than just coffee, egg bites, or a chocolate croissant. He chats up the company\u2019s employees to take a measured business temperature.<\/p>\n
According to Niccol, the baristas he speaks with have a vested interest in the company\u2019s success. In a conversation with investors at the Starbucks 2026 investors day meeting, Niccol said many employees he encounters tend to ask him about the company\u2019s stock. \u201cWhen I walk into stores, they will ask me, \u2018what do you think is going on with the stock price?\u2019\u201d Niccol said. \u201cI love it because, you know, that means they care.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The CEO of the world\u2019s largest coffee chain said that interest extends beyond financial motivation, saying that Starbucks employees, or \u201cpartners,\u201d as the company refers to them, ask from a place of pride. \u201cYou want to be at a company that you care about being a part of,\u201d Niccol said. \u201cYou want to be at a company that you think makes a difference in the community, that community that you live in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starbucks has for years aimed to bolster employee engagement by delivering an \u201cownership mentality\u201d to workers. Created in 1991, Starbucks\u2019s \u201cBean Stock\u201d program gives employees the ability to invest in the company\u2019s stock and share in the outcome of the company\u2019s performance. The idea is that Starbucks employees, no matter their rank, can develop a more personal tie to the company\u2019s success.<\/p>\n
The Starbucks stock price has been remarkably stable for the last five years, with the $100 billion company down more than 5% over that span.<\/p>\n
Niccol arrived at Starbucks from Chipotle in September 2024. At the helm of the coffee chain, Niccol has attempted to revamp the company with various workplace initiatives, including a four-day back-to-work mandate for corporate employees last October, requiring remote workers to move to either Seattle or Toronto in 12 months and impacting hundreds of workers. The move is meant to enhance connection among employees in an effort to get Starbucks back to its core, according to the company.<\/p>\n
For Starbucks stores, the company revised the dress code for baristas, suggesting employees wear solid black tops and remove ear gauges larger than a quarter. The company also established a rule that required workers to write a note on customers\u2019 cups like \u201cyou\u2019re amazing\u201d and \u201cseize the day,\u201d according to a company memo.<\/p>\n
In the past, Starbucks has distinguished itself from other chain stores by offering benefits atypical of hourly workers, including health benefits for part-time employees and free college tuition via a partnership with Arizona State University. At Chipotle, Niccol implemented a similar tuition policy as CEO in 2019, offering free college to all employees enrolling in business or tech degrees.<\/p>\n
Yet the pressure to rebuild a positive workplace has become a pressing concern among Starbucks leadership. The company faces an ongoing strike from the company\u2019s worker\u2019s union, Starbucks Workers United since last November. The \u201cRed Cup Rebellion\u201d as the union calls it, has extended through to today as Starbucks and union leaders have failed to negotiate a labor contract that meets the union\u2019s demands of better staffing and higher pay. The strike has involved less than 1% of its coffee houses, and it continues at fewer than 20 locations, per the company.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Niccol said in the investor day meeting he aims to cultivate career success and a sense of workplace satisfaction among his employees. \u201cWe\u2019re going to give you a great career professionally, we\u2019re also going to get terrific opportunities personally,\u201d Niccol said. \u201cIt\u2019s a place you can be really proud of to tell your friends and family you work at Starbucks.\u201d<\/p>\n
The CEO\u2019s remarks made clear his vision to cast Starbucks as a preferred place of work for all hourly employees. \u201cWe want to be a different kind of company. We want to be the kind of company that people can have a career with\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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