Message to partners: Starbucks will always protect your right to be who you are
No one can take away our legacy and our continued commitment to being a place where all belong.
Editor’s note: This is a story from our archive.
“No one can take away our legacy and our continued commitment to being a place where all belong. Our mission will continue to guide us and the decisions we make, and it’s more relevant now than ever: with every cup, with every conversation, with every community – we nurture the limitless possibilities of human connection.”
Partners,
Starbucks will always protect your right to be who you are, which is why I am writing to you all today.
We have always believed that our stores are best placed to authentically celebrate year-round with their communities. This includes how stores decorate for heritage months, holidays and community celebrations. As you know, Starbucks has always been about creating a feeling of connection, warmth, allyship, and a sense of belonging – that will never change. For it is our own partners – who inform and inspire the actions we have continued to take.
Throughout our journey, we have heard from our partners that you want to be creative in how our stores are represented and that you see visual creativity in stores as part of who we are and our culture. Equally, we have also heard through our partner channels that there is a need for clarity and consistency on current guidelines around visual displays and decorations.
As Laks and I shared on Friday, I want to reiterate that there has been no change to any of our policies as it relates to our inclusive store environments, our company culture, and the benefits we offer our partners. To further underscore this, we intend to issue clearer centralized guidelines, and leveraging resources like the Period Planning Kit (PPK) and Siren’s Eye, for in-store visual displays and decorations that will continue to represent inclusivity and our brand. Additionally, we will continue to provide the flexibility needed so that our stores reflect the communities they serve. As we reaffirm our previous commitments and standards, it will be even clearer to all who we are and what we stand for.
No one can take away our legacy and our continued commitment to being a place where we all belong. Our mission will continue to guide us and the decisions we make, and it’s more relevant now than ever: with every cup, with every conversation, with every community – we nurture the limitless possibilities of human connection.
Thank you for sharing your voice, and for your partnership.
Sara Trilling
executive vice president and president of Starbucks North America