Pros
Best-in-class benefits, an exciting and positive atmosphere, great networking opportunities, and high standards of excelence within the industry all make Starbucks Coffee Co. a one-of-a-kind employee friendly corporation. Guided by several clear-cut core values (and a novel founding CEO), Starbucks has created an internal atmosphere of respect, positivity, and corporate responsibility that ultimately leads to the consistantly invigorating, and friendly external atmosphere for which it is famous. As a whole, creativity is encouraged amongst employees, albeit within guidelines, and the knowledge presented to retail employees provides a decent starting point for a career in the coffee industry. Internally, long-term careers are fostered and encouraged with clear, progressive steps, and an extremely intuitive training and information system. Also, emphases on superior customer service and on delivering high quailty end products give employees a sense of corporate pride. All of these traits combine to create an unusual level esprit de corps at every level within the corporate body. There are numerous other perks to working here as well. For future entrepeneurs, it is an invaluable opportunity to evaluate and learn about a one-of-a-kind, Fortune 100-worthy business model. For coffee lovers, you're allowed to drink as much as you want before and after (or for managment and departments outside of operations, even during) shifts, and you're given a free pound of coffee a week. For socialites, it's a great place to meet new people in the community while getting paid to do so (in fact, it's highly encouraged). For anyone considering a career in any service industry, it teaches employees a first-class set of customer service standards applicable to any business. Finally, for many future professionals, working in the retail end of Starbucks can open the door to securing a future job with any of the corporation's numerous other departments. Also, total pay, the company's term for non-monetary compensation, is probably the best reason to work with Starbucks, even on the side. The insurance benefits offered to part-time employees are by far the best value for the investment of any medical insurance plan that I know of. For an average of around 18.5 hours worked each week (20 is the number most safely quoted), an individual can have full health coverage for about $60/month. That number may have changed for 2012, but from my experience, has not risen more than $10/pay period since 2007. The Perks Card, a corporate discount program, gives more discounts to more places than you'll ever know what to do with. Starbucks also carries high standards for employee safety and overall well-being. Managers are encouraged to look out for the employee's best interests in scheduling. Also, store safety and upkeep are high priorities for the corporation, meaning workplace hazards are actively minimized. Finally, Starbucks is practically omni-present. With so many stores worldwide, muchless domestically, there is almost always a transferrable job waiting anywhere life takes you. From what I saw, transfers were extremely easy to enact as well, with every co-worker getting a transfer within four weeks. Actions such as this reflect the highly considerate approach most take towards fellow Starbucks employees, especially considering the economic situation, and the fact that some stores these employees transferred to were most likely at their employee capacity. It also reflects upon how flexible and accommodating the corporation is in regards to its employees as a whole.
Cons
An extremely stressful work environment, physically demanding, inadequate monetary compensation for the volume and precision of skilled labor required (for non-salaried positions), inconsistant career guidence and mentorship, inconsistant middle-level management, an experience and leadership gap created by the major loss of tenured employees from 2006 to 2010, confusing corporate compliance statements, insignifigant annual raises (only around 3% for highest performers, non-salaried). Depending on individual preferences: High levels of ambiguity and a constantly changing work environment prove challenging to most retail employees. An occasional lack of direction, and an implied expectation for ground-level employees to make managerial-level decisions in everyday customer interaction and store operations can make for a mentally taxing work environment. After four years with the corporation, I found that many of the pros listed previously only hold true in certain districts, if not only in specific stores. I feel that it is an idealized model that worked well for a time to bring Starbucks the stature it now holds. Ultimately, its success is dependent on consistant, innovative leadership at each stage in the management structure, which is no longer present in my opinion. In general, this store-to-store discrepancy begins at the first steps of management where significant operational and financial decisions (and departures from the Starbucks standards) are made, the store and district management levels. I have personally heard many dozens of experiences and testimonies from employees that worked in retail stores throughout the nation, and have found many have had positive experiences, and a few have had generally negative experiences much like my own. Ironically, my own career at Starbucks was held back by a negative first impression with my district manager, and despite my best efforts to earn a promotion through hard work, performance and reconciliation with her directly, was denied any advancement by her order. Even with numerous recommendations by store management for promotions, she would not allow it to happen. This was confirmed by several conversations with my managers and others. Throughout my district, she had shown highly biased behavior and favoritism on many other occasions, even keeping a store managerial candidate stuck at the barista level without any feedback on how to improve his performance in order to earn a store managment position. District managers such as this are not common in the Starbucks system, but they are out there. In my opinion, much of the employee dissatisfaction the experienced within the corporation can be traced back to their decisions. My recommendation to those who are considering a career in the retail end of Starbucks, short or long-term, is this: ask first. Interview at least three employees, preferably ones that you are well aquainted with or know personally, that work in the same district in which you are considering. Ask them for a frank answer about topics such as management competancy, fair treatment, advancement, working conditions, and most importantly, their overall level of satisfaction since starting with Starbucks. Then, if you find any consistant red flags in their responses, try to stay away from that district or particularly troubled store if at all possible.
