CNN
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The company’s employees at Starbucks must return to the office at least three days a week through the end of January, interim CEO Howard Schultz announced in a memo on Wednesday, as another corporate giant restricts remote work.
Employees commuting to the company’s Seattle headquarters must be there on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and another day to be agreed with managers. Regional office workers are required to report to the office three days a week, although the memo doesn’t list the days or specify what counts as a commute.
When Starbucks (SBUX) began hybrid work last year, Schultz said, “the company’s employees made a promise” to be in the office between one and two days a week.
“Our badge data shows that many SSC partners are not delivering on their minimum promise of one day per week. It is also for this reason that I am announcing that this policy is … a requirement,” he wrote. “This is crucial for our business success.”
SSC refers to the Starbucks Support Center, the company’s Seattle headquarters.
The announcement comes days after Disney (DIS) CEO Bob Iger ordered workers to return to the office four days a week starting March 1. Disney (DIS) employees must be in the offices Monday through Thursday.
Many large companies are enforcing strict back-to-work rules after remote work has become commonplace during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Apple (AAPL), for example, has called for its corporate employees to be in the office at least three days a week. Snapchat’s parent company recently asked employees to return to the office 80% of the time starting in February, or that’s the equivalent of four days a week.
On Thursday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams lamented the impact of remote work on the city’s economy. Office vacancy rates are now at a record high as the Adams administration highlights the continued slow return of workers to the office since the pandemic began in 2020.
– CNN’s Jordan Valinsky and Mark Morales contributed coverage.
