Ethics Guide for Starbucks

Photography by Quintino De Souia

Preamble

At Starbucks, our primary goal is to make the customer feel like family. This is also the same feeling we aim to give our employees. As employees of Starbucks, it is our responsibility that our business practices are ethical.

“We believe that conducting business ethically and striving to do the right thing are vital to the success of the company…. As a global company, we are subject to the highest standards of ethical conduct and behavior.”

This means that we have a responsibility to our customers and our employees to hold ourselves at the highest level. This code of conduct guides how an employee of Starbucks should conduct themselves in any given situation.

Company Values

1. Creating a safe, warm, welcoming environment and culture where everyone is welcome.
2. Doing the best we can do and holding ourselves accountable for our results.
3. Challenging the status quo and finding new ways to grow our company and each other.
4. “Being present, connecting with transparency, dignity, and respect.”

Ethical Responsibility

1. Community
2. Ethical Sourcing
3. Environment

Image from Starbucks.com

Code of Ethics for Social Media and the Company

1. Be Accurate.
2. Be Respectful.
3. Be Truthful.
4. Admit when mistakes happen and fix them.
5. Our commitment to our community is a big part of who we are. We have to make sure that whatever we post online reflects both our values and ethical responsibility. When posting photographs of people, do not do too much editing. We aim to be as authentic as possible.
6. Make sure every photograph represents Starbucks in the best light.
7. Respond to all messages as quickly and respectfully as possible.
8. As an employee of Starbucks, you uphold the company values, working environment, and culture. Make sure that you present yourself the best way possible.
9. Never be afraid to ask for help.
10. Study our audience well and know what will or will not work for our audience.
11. Please pay attention to what is tweeted out and liked by our social media handles. Any likes, hearts, or follows could be considered us endorsing them, so be very careful when interacting on social media.
12. In the event of a crisis, employees must be able to respond quickly and effectively. Linked below will be our Internal Alert and Response chart; make sure to save it for emergencies.
13. Follow the Internal Alert & Response flow chart in the event of an emergency.

Internal Alert & Response Flow Chart

1. Customer Service Staff are the first to respond in the event of a problem arising.
2. Customer Service Responds with Manager Advice in the event that the problem is something that the customer service staff don’t usually deal with.
3. A Manager will get involved directly: If the problem persists or is something only a manager is equipped to deal with, the content will be created and monitored by staff for the subsequent days.
4. A Manager Responds and the Executive Team are notified. It will not happen all the time. There will be content created and subsequent monitoring.
5. Executive Team Responds directly: This would be when our CEO responds or someone from corporate. Content will be created, and there will be heavy monitoring to follow.