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Starbucks asks employees to work from office 4 days a week – or leave
Starting October 2025, Starbucks will require corporate staff in the US and Canada to work four days a week in-office, reversing a previous three-day policy
Starbucks has announced a major shift in its workplace policy, requiring corporate employees in the US and Canada to return to the office four days a week starting October 2025. The new mandate, which applies Monday through Thursday, marks a shift from the company’s previous three-day office requirement and reflects its ongoing effort to rebuild performance amid falling sales, reported Fortune magazine.
Those unwilling to comply with the updated policy will be offered a one-time voluntary exit package that includes a cash payout.
What Starbucks CEO said
“We are reestablishing our in-office culture because we do our best work when we’re together,” Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said in a letter to employees. “We share ideas more effectively, creatively solve hard problems, and move much faster.”
“We understand not everyone will agree with this approach,” Niccol said. “We’ve listened and thought carefully. But as a company built on human connection, and given the scale of the turnaround ahead, we believe this is the right path for Starbucks.”
Niccol said affected workers who choose not to relocate will be eligible for a one-time voluntary exit program with a cash payment.
Starbucks CEO buys house in Seattle
Niccol, a longtime resident of Southern California, was not required to relocate to the company headquarters in 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, Starbucks spokeswoman Lori Torgerson said.
The CEO of the coffee chain has been spearheading a turnaround strategy aimed at reviving Starbucks’ struggling US operations. That strategy includes simplifying the menu, redesigning stores, cutting wait times to four minutes per drink, and rethinking previous policies — such as allowing non-paying customers to use store facilities.
(With inputs from AP)
