Human Resource Management at Starbucks

Introduction-
Starbucks prides itself as the largest coffeehouse in the world. As a matter of fact, the company
has more than 17800 stores. In this case, it has operations in more than 49 countries (Starbucks
18). Most of the company’s stores are located in the United States of America. The company
offers a wide range of coffee products. These include; deep brewed coffee, cold and hot drinks,
salads and other drinks. Starbucks has self-declared as the world’s leading dealer, roaster and
brand of specialty coffee with more than 13,000 outlets in 39 countries. The stores sell espresso
drinks coffee, tea, coffee mugs, blended drinks, small bites and other coffee accessories.
This paper will try to look at the successful execution of human resource management practices
and processes at Starbucks. In this case, the paper will try to evaluate how these processes have
enabled the company to achieve its goals. This is because human resource plays an important
role in ensuring that a company achieves its goals and objectives. Starbucks has been having a
good human resource strategy to enhance its operations. As a matter of fact, the company has a
recruitment department that ensures that it attracts the best talent in the market. Starbuck has a
coffee master course that is supposed to be taken by all employees.
Human Resource Management
For company’s success employees are vital. They are public face of company and their hands
passes through every single dollar of sales. Howard Schultz thinks that employees can break or
make a company. If an employee has a positive interaction with customer, definitely customer
will be come back. Vice versa, customer is gone. It’s important for Starbucks to hire and recruit
the right person, train well, motivate and retain them. Therefore, the company should give
satisfying jobs, appropriate work schedules, a positive work environment and fair compensation
and benefits. To gain competitive advantage these activities are essential of Starbucks’s strategy
to deploy human resources. Human resource management (HRM)is the process an organization
takes actions to attract, develop, and retain quality employees. (“Human resource
management,”1997)
Values and Principles
Certain key values and guiding principles used in Starbucks culture by Howard Schultz and
senior executives. Schultz is against franchising to ensure the quality of products is controlled.
He opposed about not selling artificially flavored coffee beans-“We will not pollute our high-
quality beans with chemicals”. Howard did not want the company to enter into supermarket sales
so that the quality of the beans would be under control. Starbucks’ management was rather strict
about importance of pleasing customers. Every employee has to undergo trainings so that when it
comes to critical moment, they will act based on right mind and to ensure customers are fully
satisfied. The motto “just say yes” used to every customer requests. Employees were trained to
be out spoken and speak with their open minds. Senior executives give the right to employees to
voice out their idea or opinion on Starbucks.