In a letter to partners (employees) today, Starbucks Canada general manager, Lori Digulla reaffirms commitment to Partner Care and confirms continued investment in hourly partner wages including annual increases of 3% and stock grants in 2021.

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Every success, every ounce of progress, every positive moment we’ve experienced navigating this pandemic is thanks to our commitment to our Mission to inspire and nurture the human spirit. We’re getting through the challenge of a lifetime because we are working together, in service of each other, our customers and our communities. It hasn’t been easy and it hasn’t been perfect, but it has been remarkable with so much to be proud of. &nbsp;Thank you! And you have my commitment to keep supporting you every step of the way.

The truth is we’re still very much rebuilding our business with continued changes ahead to adapt to and overcome. But one thing that will always be true is we will be 100% committed to our Mission, and partner care and safety will always be at the heart of all our decisions. This pandemic has brought some of the biggest challenges any of us have faced, personally and professionally, but there is so much support available to you now, with more coming, that I want to be sure you know about.

We have always offered leading benefits and support for partners, and we looked for more and new ways to support you from the very start of the pandemic including comprehensive safety protocols and modified operations; multiple pay supports from March through October like Catastrophe Pay, Service Pay, COVID-19 Partner Care pay, COVID-19 leave options; and millions of dollars issued in CUP Fund grants. Importantly, months of closing and reopening stores limited hours worked so we also decreased eligibility hours to ensure benefits-enrolled partners would continue to qualify for benefits.

We sometimes hear that partners are not fully aware of everything available to them so we are re-publishing links and have created a quick reference infographic to capture all the benefits and supports that are available to you – financial, mental, physical, emotional and so much more. Please make some time to explore everything we have to support you and your families. We continue to assess, add and adjust our full package of support to ensure the most valuable and relevant resources are available to you, including some that you have told us are game-changers for you like our mental health benefits, tuition reimbursement, LifeWorks and enhanced resources committed to internal talent advancement and opportunity coming later this year.

In addition to leading benefits we offer competitive pay. We’ve increased scheduled hours and we continue to work hard to build our business back up, to provide more hours that can further increase your earnings. Despite the fact that we are still rebuilding our business, &nbsp;I’m happy to share that we’ve made the important decisions to proceed with a 3% annual wage increase for all hourly partners in 2021 which exceeds inflation and what we know most Canadian companies are planning; and we will maintain our pay differential for shift supervisors as we continue to invest in these partners and attract and reward our best baristas to this important role. &nbsp;More information will be available next month as we prepare for these increases to take effect in January (increase dates remain the same, happening every 6 months, and tied to your anniversary date).

I’m proud to share Starbucks U.S. is also invested in supporting partners by increasing wages for hourly partners. In Canada, we’ve made investments to increase minimum wage by up to 35% over the last five years. At Starbucks, we have a multi-year aspiration to make meaningful investments in pay. It will require all of us, working together, to rebuild and grow our business, so that we all can continue to share in our success.

In addition to the wage increase, we are maintaining our <a href="https://departments.starbucks.com/sites/stock/en-us/beanstock/Pages/beanstock.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bean Stock</a> grants, which are a significant investment in your future financial stabililty. Bean Stock grants are what make us “partners”, and later this month we will announce this year’s grant to our eligible baristas and shift supervisors. In FY19 baristas received grants of $600 USD and shift supervisors received grants of $875 USD. When you receive your Bean Stock grant, you are automatically set-up with a Fidelity account and will need to go to <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.netbenefits.com/" target="_blank">Fidelity NetBenefits</a> to: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://workplaceservices.fidelity.com/bin-public/070_NB_SPS_Pages/documents/dcl/shared/StockPlanServices/SPS_INTL_ActivateInstructions.pdf" target="_blank">Open your account</a>&nbsp; and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://workplaceservices.fidelity.com/bin-public/070_NB_SPS_Pages/documents/dcl/shared/StockPlanServices/SPS_OGA_INTL_ACCEPT_GRANT.pdf" target="_blank">View and accept your grant</a>.

Compensation is important, but it’s critical that you are, and feel, safe at work. Everything we learned and reimagined since we entered this pandemic has prepared us to navigate what may come. We’re confident and ready to face the challenges ahead together, because we have the operations models, protocols and tools to run our stores safely for partners and customers. We will stay vigilant and flexible&nbsp;to adjust store operations as we need to, store by store and community by community while we maintain all the best-in-class&nbsp;control measures we have in place.

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Partners, I am so very proud of our team and how we live our Mission every day, with a smile, bringing hope to each other and millions of customers every week. This is how we will get through our toughest challenges, and I have every confidence we will continue to lead through this to emerge even stronger, and even more committed to each other, our customers and communities, together.

Behind the Green Apron: Our Sustained Commitment to Partner Care

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Starbucks Canada

https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2020/behind-the-green-apron-our-sustained-commitment-to-partner-care/

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More than 20,000 Canadian partners (employees) and their families now have access to LifeWorks total suite of mental, financial, physical and lifestyle wellness services

Starbucks Canada this week is making LifeWorks, a leading digital wellness platform and app, available to all 24,000 Canadian partners (employees) and their family members, offering access to critical support services including uncapped short-term 24/7 counselling sessions and financial advice at a time when it is needed most.

LifeWorks’ total wellbeing platform goes significantly beyond the traditional Employee Assistance Program (EAP). It includes rewards and recognition, proactive advice, and easy-to-use learning modules and assessment tools. The platform also provides more comprehensive mental, physical, social and financial health resource that better meets the individual needs of partners. Importantly, Starbucks is making LifeWorks available to all partners, including those working fewer than 20-hours a week who may not be eligible for benefits.

“Caring for partners is fundamental to who we are at our core as a company,” says Cara Beck, Starbucks Canada’s vice president of Partner Resources. “We know that now, more than ever, we have a responsibility as a company to do more to support partners wherever they are on their wellness journey. Our commitment is unwavering.” 

Canadians have faced so much change over the last several months navigating the global pandemic and struggles with uncertainty have heightened mental health concerns. A recent survey by Statistics Canada&nbsp; found 88 per cent of Canadians have experienced at least one symptom of anxiety since physical distancing began.* And, according to a monthly <a href="https://morneaushepell.mediaroom.com/2020-08-05-Anti-Black-racism-awareness-and-response-linked-to-Canadians-mental-health" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mental Health Index™ report</a> from Morneau Shepell, who developed the LifeWorks platform, Canadians’ mental health has been on the decline for the past four consecutive months.**

“The LifeWorks platform provides support for mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing. If any one of these four pillars falters, it can negatively affect the others,” said Neil King, President, LifeWorks and Executive Vice President, Morneau Shepell. “Canadians across all industries are struggling with their mental health right now, which is why it is so critical that we approach wellbeing in a holistic way.”

LifeWorks is one more step in Starbucks commitment to supporting partners and breaking the stigma around mental health. In 2016, Starbucks Canada introduced an unprecedented <a href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2016/starbucks-canada-mental-health-benefit/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$5,000 mental health benefit</a>, which for three consecutive years has been the single most-used benefit behind drug coverage among Canadian benefits-eligible partners. Earlier this year, Starbucks also provided all partners with free subscriptions to the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2020/starbucks-headspace-mental-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">meditation app Headspace</a> to make mental health support even more accessible and to improve partners’ overall wellbeing in a long-lasting, positive way.

And, this month, the company will begin dedicated mental health training for Canadian store managers to enable these leaders with the tools and knowledge to guide their teams at any stage of a mental health crisis. This additional in-store support means retail partners can feel comfortable talking to their leaders about their mental health challenges and be able to easily find resources specific to their needs.

<a href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2020/starbucks-canada-comprehensive-mental-health-initiative-a-timeline/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Click here</a>&nbsp;to learn more about Starbucks Canada’s commitment to break the stigma around mental health.

*Source: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/200527/dq200527b-eng.htm" target="_blank">Statistics Canada</a> **Source: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://morneaushepell.mediaroom.com/2020-08-05-Anti-Black-racism-awareness-and-response-linked-to-Canadians-mental-health" target="_blank">Morneau Shepell</a>

More than 20,000 Canadian partners (employees) and their families now have access to LifeWorks total suite of mental, financial, physical and lifestyle wellness services.

Starbucks Canada Invests in Comprehensive Total Wellness for its Partners at a Critical Time

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https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2020/starbucks-canada-invests-in-comprehensive-total-wellness-for-its-partners-at-a-critical-time/

The company’s catastrophe pay now includes those who feel unsafe coming to work and those who need to stay home to care for children.

As Canada mobilizes to limit the spread of COVID-19 and things continue to change daily, Starbucks remains committed to prioritizing partner (employee) and customer care.

Today, in a letter to all partners from Starbucks Canada president, Lori Digulla, announced two measures to expand on the partner care resources and support that were <a href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2020/comprehensive-partner-care-during-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">introduced last week</a>.

The first is to extend the 14-day catastrophe pay for scheduled shifts, to now include partners who are worried about or are feeling unsafe coming to work, as well as partners who need to stay home to care for children.

“I want to reinforce that none of us should have to choose between taking care of ourselves and coming to work,” Digulla wrote. “We will continue to keep your safety and care at the heart of every single decision we make – and we’re making them daily in these unprecedented times.”&nbsp;

In addition to expanded catastrophe pay, Starbucks also announced that it will temporarily waive eligibility requirements and documentation for the company’s emergency financial aid CUP Fund. Partners who have been impacted by COVID-19 can request a one-time grant to support a personal financial hardship. The payment will then be expedited within three days. 

“Our teams continue to push for additional ways to support you and our customers,” Digulla wrote today. “We’re doing the very best we can to honour our mission and values while keeping you safe and secure.” 

Safety Measures Implemented in Stores

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Based on public health official guidance, the company has implemented social distancing operating models and expanded sanitizing and cleaning processes to ensure stores remain safe spaces for partners who want to come to work, and they continue to make daily decisions.

The company’s catastrophe pay now includes those who feel unsafe coming to work and those who need to stay home to care for children.

Starbucks Canada Extends Partner (Employee) Care Resources and Support amid COVID-19

https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2020/further-extension-of-partner-care-during-covid-19/

Open letter to all Canadian store partners (employees) from Lori Digulla, president of Starbucks Canada

Over the past three weeks we have found ourselves working and living through a quickly evolving health risk.&nbsp;Although this situation is new to many of us, what isn’t is our strong commitment to take care of each other and our communities both proactively and as individual needs arise. Our guiding principle from the beginning has been to lead with partner care, transparency, decision-making based in facts and science, combined with frequent communication to ensure every partner has the latest information.

Above all else, I want you to know your Starbucks family is here for you. This may not feel imminent for every part of Canada, but if or when it is, I want you to know about, and feel fully supported by, our comprehensive partner care during COVID-19.

We have already activated a set of temporary, precautionary measures in our stores to help limit the spread and do what’s right for you and our customers. Thank you for your leadership and accountability as you embraced and implemented these changes so quickly! Over the last 10 days we:

Even more importantly, if you or your loved ones are unfortunately impacted more directly, Starbucks is committed to provide comprehensive support for you because you should never have to choose between work and taking care of yourself. Here’s what you need to know:

Our COVID-19 Working Groups will continue to stay close to the Public Health Agency of Canada, food safety experts and other public health authorities as we move through this together. The thoughtful protocols they have developed for every possible scenario are proactive in nature and grounded in partner care, facts and science. I am so very grateful for their incredible knowledge, leadership and dedication.

I can’t thank you enough for supporting the very important work to stop, contain, control, delay and reduce the impact of this virus at every opportunity. And I want you to know that you are fully supported as we work through these ever-changing times.

Please let us know if there is anything you need. We are all here to help.

Open letter to all Canadian store partners (employees) from Lori Digulla, president of Starbucks Canada.

Comprehensive Partner Care during COVID-19

Letter to Partners: Caring for Starbucks Partners during COVID-19

https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2020/comprehensive-partner-care-during-covid-19/