Starbucks mandating 4-day RTO for corporate staff

(KRON) — Starbucks looks to be the latest company to be ramping up the pressure on employees to be back in the office. On Monday, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol sent a memo to staff announcing that the company was upping the required number of days in the office from three to four.

“As we continue to execute our Back to Starbucks plan and work to turn around the business, I want to share important updates on behalf of our executive leadership team — specifically regarding our in-office expectations and work locations for our support partners and people managers,” Niccol wrote.

In accordance with the policy shift, workers at Starbucks’ Seattle and Toronto Support Centers will be required in the office on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The policy will also apply to workers at North American regional offices, according to Niccol.

In addition, following a request earlier this year for VP and above level workers to be in Seattle or Toronto, Starbucks is now requiring leadership team members at its regional support centers to relocate to Seattle or Toronto within the next 12 months.

For workers that don’t want to comply with the new policies, Starbucks is offering buyouts in the form of “a one-time voluntary exit program with a cash payment for partners who make this choice.”

“We understand that the updated in-office culture may not work for everyone,” Niccol wrote.

In order to give its employees “time to adjust,” Niccol said Starbucks’ will begin enforcing its new RTO policy with the new fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1.