Starbucks is joining other Seattle-based corporations in ramping up its return-to-office policy for corporate staff, aiming to tighten compliance with its hybrid work structure in the coming year. While the coffee giant maintains it isn’t altering its hybrid policy, stricter enforcement is on the horizon, including possible “separation” for employees who fail to comply, Bloomberg reports. Starbucks clarified to KIRO 7 that it is simply reinforcing accountability among team leaders under the existing hybrid policy, a spokesperson said.
This updated approach is expected to impact roughly 3,500 Starbucks corporate employees. In contrast, Amazon recently mandated full-time, five-day office attendance for approximately 3,50,000 employees—a policy that sparked job-seeking activity as many Amazon staff sought opportunities with more flexibility.
Seattle-based recruiter Maja Hanna notes the increasing demand for remote and hybrid roles among her clients, reflecting a trend captured by the Flex Index by Scoop, which shows a decline in companies requiring a full-time, in-person presence. In the first quarter of 2023, 49 per cent of U.S.-based companies mandated five-day in-person work, which dropped to 31 per cent by the second quarter of 2024.
An informal survey by Blind revealed that 91 per cent of Amazon employees were dissatisfied with the full-time in-office policy, and 73 per cent reported looking for other job options. As remote and hybrid work options remain popular in Washington and Seattle, where 90 per cent of companies offer flexible schedules, Hanna sees a unique chance for smaller businesses to attract talent seeking a balanced work-life setup.
“Smaller companies looking to expand can take advantage of this by hiring highly skilled workers who prioritize flexibility," Hanna said, adding that these opportunities align well with changing employee expectations.
