Lesson #4: Pull For Your People
Lesson #4: Pull For Your People
everyone in it and not leaving our people behind is a great example of building a business the right way,” says Schultz. “We’re not ever going to turn our backs on our [employees].”
When Schultz was seven years old, his father was working as a diaper-service delivery driver. The job did not pay much, but it was enough. It was after he broke his ankle that tough times arose for the Schultz family. “He was beaten down, he wasn't respected,” recalls Schultz. “He had no health insurance, and he had no workers' compensation when he got hurt on the job.” With no sick pay or disability assistance, Schultz’s father was left helpless and the family was left with no food on the table.
It was this scenario that Schultz vowed to put an end to if he one day ever owned his own company. “I wanted to try and build the company that my father never got a chance to work for,” says Schultz. Today, according to Fortune magazine, Starbucks is the second best company to work for because of its generous employee benefits. Starbucks also has the lowest employee turnover rate of any food and beverage company. Indeed, Schultz credits his benefits package as one of the keys to his company’s dramatic success.
A part-time worker for Starbucks – and their same or opposite sex partner – is entitled to comprehensive health benefits, covering everything from medical, prescriptions, dental, and vision to hypnotherapy and naturopathy. The company also offers retirement savings plans, discounted stock options, income protection plans, adoption assistance plans, management bonus plans and support resources for child and elder care. Then, there is also the discounted Starbucks merchandise, the free pound of coffee or tea each week and all the drinks you can down during your shift.
“Our mission statement about treating people with respect and dignity is not just words but a creed we live by every day,” says Schultz. “You can't expect your employees to exceed the expectations of your customers if you don't exceed the employees' expectations of management. That's the contract.”
By taking care of the people who work for him, Schultz has created a more loyal and dedicated workforce and has encouraged a higher level of customer service. He has also saved the money that is normally required in that industry to attract, train and retain strong employees. “My aim was to give our employees a vested interest in the company,” says Schultz. “And that, I think, has made all the difference.”
It is this connection Schultz has striven to maintain between himself, his company and the Starbucks employees and their families that has led to Schultz donating millions of dollars to such other causes as the Katrina hurricane relief fund and the California Giving Program. “We are as passionate about our commitment to our communities as we are about achieving financial success,” he says.
Lesson 4 Pull For Your People
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“The way we have built our company by including the success of the company with
everyone in it and not leaving our people behind is a great example of building a business the right way,” says Schultz. “We’re not ever going to turn our backs on our [employees].”
When Schultz was seven years old, his father was working as a diaper-service delivery driver. The job did not pay much, but it was enough. It was after he broke his ankle that tough times arose for the Schultz family. “He was beaten down, he wasn't respected,” recalls Schultz. “He had no health insurance, and he had no workers' compensation when he got hurt on the job.” With no sick pay or disability assistance, Schultz’s father was left helpless and the family was left with no food on the table.
It was this scenario that Schultz vowed to put an end to if he one day ever owned his own company. “I wanted to try and build the company that my father never got a chance to work for,” says Schultz. Today, according to Fortune magazine, Starbucks is the second best company to work for because of its generous employee benefits. Starbucks also has the lowest employee turnover rate of any food and beverage company. Indeed, Schultz credits his benefits package as one of the keys to his company’s dramatic success.
A part-time worker for Starbucks – and their same or opposite sex partner – is entitled to comprehensive health benefits, covering everything from medical, prescriptions, dental, and vision to hypnotherapy and naturopathy. The company also offers retirement savings plans, discounted stock options, income protection plans, adoption assistance plans, management bonus plans and support resources for child and elder care. Then, there is also the discounted Starbucks merchandise, the free pound of coffee or tea each week and all the drinks you can down during your shift.
“Our mission statement about treating people with respect and dignity is not just words but a creed we live by every day,” says Schultz. “You can't expect your employees to exceed the expectations of your customers if you don't exceed the employees' expectations of management. That's the contract.”
By taking care of the people who work for him, Schultz has created a more loyal and dedicated workforce and has encouraged a higher level of customer service. He has also saved the money that is normally required in that industry to attract, train and retain strong employees. “My aim was to give our employees a vested interest in the company,” says Schultz. “And that, I think, has made all the difference.”
It is this connection Schultz has striven to maintain between himself, his company and the Starbucks employees and their families that has led to Schultz donating millions of dollars to such other causes as the Katrina hurricane relief fund and the California Giving Program. “We are as passionate about our commitment to our communities as we are about achieving financial success,” he says.
Lesson 4 Pull For Your People
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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