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Starbucks: Partner Focused

Ashleigh Gardner

Arizona State University

PPE 310: Healthy Learning Communities

Dr. Jennifer Houston

Presentation Plan Final

November 17, 2017

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Starbucks: Partner-Focused

The purpose of this document is to create six-months of plans for my current workplace,

Starbucks, with the purpose of incorporating key concepts of health and wellness. The intent of

these plans is to consider events common for each month and the ways a leader could reinforce

healthy themes in practical ways. Following a brief map of these logical and effective strategies,

a reflection will allow this leader to consider context and focus of each months presentation.

Presentation Map

Social January

- After holidays

- Gift cards = new Starbucks Rewards members

- Back to basics

- Primary focus is customers, creating new customer base, welcoming them into our

neighborhood to return again and again

- Enjoy meeting and cultivating new customers, seeing new faces that will become familiar

Emotional February

- Valentines day gifts and gift packages

- Share the love event: universal love for others and for those in the community

- BOGO on some form of chocolate beverages (in the past, truffle chocolate latte)

- Discount on pastries to bring to the office/ classroom

- This is an opportunity to boost business, but also to be aware of the emotional needs of

the community (love, joy, hurt, stress, self-depreciation)

- Starbucks asks partners to be observant of these emotions and how we may collectively

be able to help; remember, even outside this store, there are partner resources and
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contacts you may make through the Back Office, email, or phone calls

Physical March

- McKinney running club event (usually a 5K for awareness of some disease/illness)

- Also our month for renewing health benefits: medical, dental, vision, and disability

- Celebrate the month with a sports day of our own: would you prefer a tournament of one

sport (like volleyball) or a tournament of several activities where we form teams?

- Importance of physical activity in what we do

- On your feet all day, but make sure you are getting rest, stretching, etc.

Spiritual April

- Earth Day

- Community awareness: planting trees, food drives, volunteer programs

- Starbucks promotes this month every year to get stores and partners involved in the

community they serve

- How can you benefit/improve the community you work in while serving them? What can

you and would you be willing to do after hours?

- There will be some sign-ups for events in our district that we would like to have

representatives attend

- Remember that this activity is a peaceful, purposeful work that relieves stress and

improves the holistic spiritual aspect of each partner; while it may not benefit you

physically, I encourage you to participate because it will benefit you spiritually

Nutritional May

- Happy Frappy Hour the first half of the month

- Buy one Frappuccino, get one half-priced; huge event for students; moms will stop after
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school, weekends are overly busy

- Frappuccinos are NOT very nutritious; this year Starbucks is introducing new options

that are more fruit-forward (mango puree, strawberry puree, and prickly pear puree)

- Offer smoothies for an option high in protein and natural sugars (bananas and

strawberries)

- Offer health-conscious parents the option of our zero-calorie teas

- Beginning Summer readiness changes in business to be spread out an inconsistent

- Make sure you get your vacation time in early if you plan to take one or else provide an

updated version of your availability

- With the rising temperatures, stay hydrated and try to keep the sugars to a minimum

while working (slows work, exhaustion, etc.)

Intellectual June

- Graduation season

- Prepare for ASU? : Starbucks pays tuition for partners wanting to take classes towards a

degree online at Arizona State University through the College Achievement Plan

- Please consider taking advantage of this and getting enrolled for the Fall

- If not interested or unable to attend, also consider this season an opportunity to reevaluate

challenging yourself intellectually at Starbucks: what would you like to learn more

about? How would you like to grow in this company?

- Coffee master classes will be offered this summer

- One-on-One meetings with your store manager will take place in order to assess your

growth and personal goals; we are here to help you!

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Reflection

In considering the upcoming months at Starbucks, several events are common annual

activities. However, as often as we plan for these events, we consider the business planning but

not always the effects on partners. Even when we recognize, perhaps the exhaustion or need for

more hours, we fail to acknowledge how our preparedness can also coach healthy practices to

our partners. With this mindset, I evaluated how meetings might run if we sought to incorporate a

different theme each month.

January could easily take on the social topic in that Starbucks promotes their Rewards

system following the holiday season. Customers, who have purchased or been given gift cards,

can now register those cards and earn rewards with each purchase. This is a time for welcoming

new regular customers and cultivating those relationships. Partners can use this business

opportunity as the chance to get to know their peers, community, and customer base. February

takes the next step in this progression with our annual share the love event and can take on the

emotional theme. While we center Valentines day around the theme of love and one-to-one

relationships, this event is promoted as kindness to others and empathy for various situations.

Just as we celebrate with each other, we should also support each other during times of weakness

and struggle. Accepting this concept and exemplifying it in the workplace can create higher

employee satisfaction and an inner peacefulness that is essential in building a community or team

(Ackerman, 2017). March would match well with the physical theme since our business-

neighbors always host a 5K walk/run event in mid-March, usually promoting treatment for

diseases like Alzheimers. However, I think our team could also use a group event during this

month, such as a sports tournament or triathlon (of our own design). This would be an exciting

and welcome morale boost. April brings to mind community awareness, which I believe we
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could use to tie into a spiritual benefit. While there are a vast number of beliefs within our

workplace and our community, we can all agree on the benefits of improving our community and

the physical environment we live in. Starbucks usually promotes volunteer activities around this

point of the year, which can vary from planting trees to assisting in shelters. It is important for

Starbuck employees to recognize that the community values them as members, even if this is not

where the partner resides. There is a bit of irony attached to including the theme of nutrition in

the month of May, since this is when we promote our Happy Frappuccino Hour (buy one, get

one 50% off all frappuccinos) for two whole weeks. However, it occurred to me that a number of

customers have been advocating for healthier options to take advantage of in this time frame.

Last year, we launched a few fruit-forward alternatives that were technically still frappuccinos,

but with a healthier twist. This may be a perfect time to encourage this again for business, but

also to remind partners of the importance of their own nutrition. With the Texas heat approaching

quickly, it is essential that partners remember to stay hydrated, cut back on sugars during busy

hours, and get full rest each night, all to ensure good energy and health given the added stress.

Finally, June seems an adequate fit for the topic of intellectual wellness in that we celebrate

graduations within the community and ASU begins promoting partner enrollment for the Fall

sessions. As a College Achievement Plan partner, I can attest to the stress relief provided

through having intellectual stimulus and goals, even while working a very busy, high stress job

(Mental Health, n.d.).

Each of these months can recognize one central theme in improving the health and

wellness of our partners. Not only will this benefit them individually, it will produce a more

satisfied and efficient work force for our company. Happy partners create happy customers.

Although theoretical, these presentation plans could be effective and successful.

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References

Ackerman,C.(2017,March6).The23AmazingHealthBenefitsofMindfulnessforBodyand

Brain.RetrievedNovember5,2017,from

https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/benefitsofmindfulness/

Mental Health. (n.d.). Mental Health Services. Retrieved from

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml