If you are a business owner with employees, I would love to know your thoughts on this article. Is it unreasonable to request that employees wear a "uniform"? Do you feel a union is practical for a Starbucks job?
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/business/starbucks-strike-baristas-walk-outs.html#:~:text=Jasmine%20Leli%2C%20a%20union%20delegate,reasonable%20contract%2C%E2%80%9D%20it%20said.
I'm not in retail, but if I was, I'd have a uniform policy. I think having a consistent look across locations is really important from a branding perspective. Chick-fil-A does it, and that's one of the most successful, popular fast food chains out there - there has to be some merit to it.
Mentor
Most large companies do it for branding purposes. Not sure why Starbucks is so late to the game.
Being on the outside looking in on all of this, it doesn’t seem like it's the uniform or any of the actual things. Not taking into consideration the employees at all, no attempt to include them in the process, or work with them. My employees are just as important as the customers, cannot have one without the other.
Mentor
I think that is the difference between small business and corporations. The larger companies have gotten to the point where it's all about the dollar and no care or loyalty for employees. Maybe that's why it is so hard to hire and retain good talent.
I don't think there is anything wrong with having a dress code in places like that. It helps to distinguish people who work there from customers and I do think you need to have a certain level of professionalism in any job. If you have to follow a dress code then so be it.
I own a coffee shop and my employees have a loose uniform: clean slacks and our company T-shirt. If they want to wear accessories and other things like that, I don't really care. As long as they are clean. Technically, people can walk out over anything; if all my employees wanted to walk off the job because they no longer liked the T-shirt, they could. That's their choice. I think it's a little bit silly, but I wouldn't stop them.
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Reading the article, I come away thinking there are no sympathetic characters in it. The union has a point that the company is fixated on things are are fairly meretricious. Yet, from the company perspective, if they hadn't given the guidelines people would show up wearing who knows what. But, if you have an agreement with a union, you should honor it. So on some level it's about the principle, not the uniforms at all. So far as uniforms or dress codes go, I suppose it makes sense to keep consistent branding. And for something like Starbucks, that's the game.
Mentor
Exactly my thoughts. Interesting how a company as big as Starbucks hasn't addressed the dress code and branding before now.