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Re: Starbucks Insurance

There's a new book out called "Starbucked" about, big surprise, Starbucks. It notes that the company offers health insurance to employees who average 20 hours a week (or something like that), but the author did acknowledge complaints from some workers that they were scheduled for fewer hours when they got close to meeting the threshold for health insurance.

(Note that I'm not accusing Starbucks of anything; I'm just citing what the book said.)

Also, the author of "Starbucked" might make a good guest on this show sometime.

Paolo,

The part-time employees I know at Starbucks get health insurance if they work 25 hours a week. In the past several years, I have known a number of musicians, graduate students, part-time university students, and freelancers, who work at Starbucks in order to get health insurance and have some financial stability.

Mark, I did not know that. Thanks.

Brian,
Why did you not correct yoru guest when he said in the 70 the wage the woman caller was geting was an anomaly? Where is the political analysis of the decline of service jobs and economy in general????

It is a CULT, my coworker went, compelete BS.

Re: Starbucks Insurance

My understanding is that Starbucks is one of the few companies that does provide insurance for even part time employees. I have several friends who work there part time to supplement their non-insuring full-time jobs.

I rather have a root-canal than have to work at GAP ever again!

Erica, most of those people don't get health coverage because many of them are part-time employees.

I know a lot of my friends who work 38 or 39 hours a week so that their corporations don't have to give them the health insurance they would be entitled to if they worked 40 hours a week.

Every time I wonder if a cup of coffee at Starbucks is worth what I pay for it, I think that I'm paying for the health insurance of the person who is serving me coffee and I feel pretty good about that.

I worked for about a year at Best Buy and found that the worst part was the inconsistent hours. Week to week my schedule would shift drastically, working nights one week, mornings the next, and having a different days off each week. It became near impossible to have a life outside work cause I could never plan. I think this (and pay below my standard of living) was the main reason I was unable to stand it when I finally quit.

At the same time, I totally bought into the "kool-aid" culture, truly believing that Best Buy was far superior to Circuit City and other competitors. Never have I felt this more, though, than when I worked at The Princeton Review selling test prep courses over the phone. To this day, over six years later, I still have a deep hatred for Kaplan, and can't tell you why other than that "TPR is better."

Did alex fudge his previous work record to get hired?.....

Alex,

How do you square or what is your take on the cultivation of loyalty in the age of layoffs and disposable employment (where no loyalty to the employee is the rule)?

thank you.

I worked part time at The Container Store (TCS) in paramus. I worked 4 years 10 months and then one day I was FIRED. No notice. No severance.

I had glowing reviews & better than average raises each year. But the store manager, who did not hire any of us -- did not like the fact that we were hired by the original manager.

TCS is a very positive culture. It promotes top notch customer service.
Yet once fired NOT one higher up would even take my calls or respond to emails.

Their motto Communications is leadership was plain & simple HOG WASH.

If customers could see how poorly TCS treats its employees who bust their butt for their customers. Customers would drop them like a diseased puppy.

Too Bad. It used to be a great place to work.

as a recent college grad, almost everyone i know is familiar with enterprise. they recruit heavily upon recent grads and are known for preying on young, hungry and energetic people. being young and naive, i went on an interview. i found very quickly that it was NOT for me.

I guess you recommend doing nothing from first-hand knowledge? After two hours of very strenuous radio "commentatoring" can you really be exhausted. Talk about doing nothing. LOL

As long as you are an "at will employee," which most of these service jobs are, you're crazy to be uberloyal to your company. C'mon, they're claiming the right to fire you for any time for any reason. Unless they allow a labor union, don't let the company culture go to your head.

I also agree with the caller that the customer themselves can be a pain, which was my experience while in retail as part-time worker. Everyone should realize that the person behind the cash register isn't necessarily an idiot.

Another problem with retail/service jobs is that if you're on the bottom rung, there are times when customers have 100% valid complaints and there's nothing you can do because the company policy is so crazy.

I'VE LIKED ENTERPRISE AS A CUSTOMER. BUT FELT SORRY FOR THE EMPLOYEES WHEN THEY WERE MADE TO WEAR SILLY COSTUMES ON HALLOWEEN.

It seems somehow wrong and cynical that companies are indoctrinating their employees with politeness, but consider that many of these employees have no life experience in being polite. I think the companies are, out of necessity, bringing employees up to a lowest common denominator of public courtesy.

Compare Starbucks, which has good customer service with say, RiteAid, where you can barely get the cashiers to acknowledge you want to buy something.

11:10> "Pretty much everybody loves apple computers" - Brian L.

Brian, don't insult with such nefarious generalizations, please!

Honestly, many corporations seem to have absolutely no regard for their employees. On the other hand, the customer has become really their only concern. Customers are permitted to be as belligerent and offensive to the staff as they want, and they get free stuff for it.

And at my job, they've made out a space in the store to put up this awful TV that broadcasts commercials and videos that replay every half an hour. So I will hear the same American Idol music video between 15 to 20 times in a single day. And the same movie trailers, etc. etc. This reduces the quality of our working environment tremendously. We all hate. We're sick of it, but it's all about keeping the customer entertained for the five minutes they're on line.