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In today’s challenging labor market, where frontline turnover is high and workforce expectations are even higher, Starbucks has made impressive moves in workforce engagement, retention, and operations management that deserve the spotlight.

So grab a cup of Pike Place and let’s take a look at how Starbucks is demonstrating what effective operations management looks like, with a people-first twist.

1. Investing in employee growth = retention gold

Starbucks offers industry-leading benefits, including 100% tuition coverage through its Starbucks College Achievement Plan with Arizona State University. For a frontline worker, this isn’t just a perk, it’s a pathway.

This kind of long-term investment in employee growth helps Starbucks address one of the biggest drivers of frontline turnover: lack of career progression. By creating a visible growth path, they aren’t just filling roles; they’re building careers. And it’s paying off in improved workforce retention and operational stability.

Offering upward mobility increases tenure and reduces rehiring costs, an essential part of any frontline operations platform strategy.

2. Prioritizing mental health and financial wellbeing

Through partnerships with providers like Lyra Health, Starbucks offers employees access to mental health resources, financial coaching, and even crisis support. This isn’t just thoughtful, it’s strategic. Mental wellness directly affects workforce productivity, safety, and engagement.

By proactively addressing common stressors, Starbucks reduces absenteeism and boosts morale, two KPIs every HR and Ops leader should be tracking.

Holistic benefits improve employee favorability scores and help identify frontline stressors before they impact turnover.

3. Championing equity and inclusion with real dollars

Starbucks links executive compensation to diversity goals. That’s not window dressing, that’s operations management with accountability. By embedding DEI outcomes into leadership performance metrics, they ensure culture and compliance go hand-in-hand with performance.

Aligning cultural goals with operational metrics fosters sustainable growth and minimizes reputational risk.

Why Ops leaders should take notes

Starbucks has cracked a key truth that more companies are waking up to: operational excellence starts with employee experience. From workforce safety to growth opportunities, what happens on the floor impacts your KPIs just as much as what happens in the boardroom.

If you’re looking to reduce turnover, increase productivity, and build a resilient workforce, take a page out of the Starbucks playbook: listen to your people, invest in their future, and lead with purpose.

And if you want to go from good to great, WorkStep is ready when you are.