A letter to our Canadian partners (employees) from Lori Digulla, president of Starbucks Canada on International Women’s Day

Partners,

The first International Women’s Day was celebrated in 1911, as part of a young and growing movement in Europe to support women to participate equally in society. It’s almost impossible to imagine, but at that time women in Canada couldn’t vote, were not legally included in the definition of “persons”, and of course faced impossible challenges and risks from lack of rights.

Today on International Women’s Day we celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements, and it’s also a day to recognize there’s still more to do. I’m proud of Starbucks’ progress and leadership, but we don’t take this for granted. We have to earn it every day, both here in Canada and internationally, especially in the communities we impact most.

Pay Equity

In 2018, Starbucks committed to achieving 100% Pay Equity globally. In Canada, the expectations are even higher and farther reaching as we aim to achieve “equal pay for work of equal value”. I’m pleased to confirm once again this year that Starbucks Canada is pay equity compliant.  We have adopted a set of principles and best practices to address systemic barriers and ensure we do not have any gender wage gaps. Our compensation practice also requires each role to have a set pay-grade regardless of the partner who fills the position, and we review and validate our pay-grades both internally and against external market data annually.

Partnering With Leading Organizations

There is a lot to learn, build and do to advance gender equality beyond pay equity. We are committed to gender equality and are partnering with leading organizations and experts to advance workplaces for women.

In 2018, we came together with 20 other companies, expert organizations and Global Compact Network Canada to develop, test and implement a set of tools designed to eliminate barriers faced by women in the workplace and accelerate gender equality for all employees and workers in Canada. We published the Blueprint for Gender Equality in the Canadian Private Sector and Maturity Model in December.

We have also recently joined Catalyst in Canada, a global non-profit founded in 1962 dedicated to advancing workplaces for women. Catalyst helps drive change with pioneering research and practical tools to measure and accelerate progress. We will leverage all of this to continue building partner development and learning. All partners with a Starbucks email address will have access to their world-class resources by simply signing up at Catalyst.org.

Investing in Women and Girls in Origin Communities

In 2018 The Starbucks Foundation announced a new goal to empower 250,000 women and girls in coffee and tea Origin communities by 2025 by providing access to health, education and leadership opportunities. We made this investment because we believe investing in women and girls leads to greater positive impact for communities as a whole. We’re proud to announce that the Foundation along with our non-profit partners have reached over 125,000 women already – we’re more than halfway to our goal!

Women’s Impact Network

Our Partner Networks are an excellent opportunity to engage at a deeper level on shared experiences and purpose with likeminded partners and allies. All partners are welcome to join the Women’s Impact Network whose mission is to ignite the power of women to make an impact through partners, allies and communities. The WIN provides members with development opportunities through mentoring, networking, connecting with fellow members and allies, and serving women and their families in the local community.

Inclusion, diversity and equity have always been important to us but this last year has heightened the need to declare clear and unwavering commitments, supported by meaningful action. The world has never needed positive support, allies and advocates more than now! I want to thank the Partner Resources, Inclusion & Diversity and Social Impact teams, and members of our Women’s Impact Network for building such a strong foundation, and I look forward to making even more progress in this next year.

With thanks,
Lori