The Result of Working Less Than 12 Hours a Week at Starbucks
Starbucks, like any other coffeehouse chain, has a minimum-hour requirement to keep the schedule in check. Starbucks allows its employees to work a minimum of 12 hours a week to keep their position, 20 hours if they want health insurance benefits.
The employees are not always able to work 12 hours a week; in such cases, the question arises in their minds: “What happens if they don’t work 12 hours a week?” We have written this article to answer that exact question.
Why 12 Hours a Week Minimum Is Required by Starbucks?
Why is the minimum limit 12 hours a week? Why do you have to work for this specific time to keep your job stability? This is because it creates a practical baseline.
If the employee works a minimum of 12 hours a week, this means that they are active and that they don’t just take up space on the schedule for no reason at all. This creates fairness in employees and justifies all the training costs for the employee.
It also encourages teamwork and creates a solid work environment for everyone present.
Thus, working a minimum of 12 hours a week is necessary.
Key Consequences of Not Working 12 Hours at Starbucks
Not able to work 12 hours a week due to certain issues? Well, you gotta deal with the consequences. These consequences can be severe as they affect your job and pay.
Completing less than 12 hours can make you look not committed to your job.
It also creates inconvenience to other employees and managers as they might have to pick up more shifts. This creates a harsh work environment. This is why working less than 12 hours has consequences.
Here’s what you risk losing when you work under 12 hours a week at Starbucks:
Losing Benefits
Losing your benefits is a really big consequence that you have to face when you don’t meet the minimum requirement. These benefits include health insurance, Starbucks Stocks, Tuition benefits, and any vacation benefits.
These benefits can also include any employee discounts, promotion opportunities, and the most important of them all, your job security.
These benefits may look like nothing on their own, but when they add up together, you realise how important they are, and losing them is a really big risk.
Disciplinary measures
If you work under 12 hours a week, you will be forced to have an unpleasant conversation with your manager. If this continues, it can escalate to written warnings where the issue is officially documented.
They may give you time for improvement, but if things don’t work, they can place you on PIP (Performance Improvement Plan). If the store is unionised, you can get help from your union.
Decrease In Pay
Working fewer hours obviously decreases your pay, as Starbucks workers get paid per hour. So, if we assume that the average pay for a Starbucks employee is $15 an hour and they only work for 8 hours a week, this means that they are only getting paid $120 a week and $480 monthly.
Whereas if the employee works 12 hours a week, they can get $180 a week and $720 a month, which is way more.
Reduced Skill Gain
As we mentioned above, if you don’t show up to work often, you do not develop various skills like the other employees. You can not work with a team properly, handle customers or manage time, and you may also not have the ability to solve problems creatively.
This is all very important for the development of a good employee. This skill set is gained when you spend hours working. Working 12 hours a week at least at Starbucks is the best decision for you.
Low Performance Rating
Showing up to work less negatively affects your performance rating, as the manager has not seen you prove yourself due to your absence. This makes the employee look less reliable and shows that the employee does not value teamwork or productivity.
Even if the employee is good at his job, he still comes up as less dependable and thus makes the manager think he deserves less of a rating than those who actually show up to work.
This creates a negative image.
Termination
If you fall behind the 12-hour mark for the week, not only does it affect your job promotion, but it can also put your job at risk. If there is no improvement and the hours are still low after the talks with the manager and the warnings, you will be terminated.
This is because only working for very few hours can make you compromise your skills, which leads to bad customer service, time management, and terrible teamwork. Termination is always the worst-case scenario in such a situation.
Exceptions To The Rule of Working Less Than 12 Hours a Week at Starbucks
As we have established above, most of the people have to suffer the consequences of not working for the proper amount, and these consequences can be harsh, depending on whether you improve your work hours or not.
There is an exception to this rule, though; some people get to work less than 12 hours and face no consequences. A list of these exceptions is given below for your knowledge.
Students
Students are given leniency as they manage their studies with work. If a student has exams or assignments or if they are just busy with the school load in general, they can work less than 12 hours with no consequences.
The manager can allow them fewer hours and even help them with flexible schedules. Managers can also change their availability during the exam season because they understand that education is always a priority.
Medical Reasons
Another exception is an employee with health issues, which can be a short-term illness or injury, or it can include any chronic illness that may require treatment and cause the employee to have limited energy.
Such employees also need time for doctor visits, medical treatment, and therapy, so the employer allows them to have a flexible schedule as well.
The employee may also need a recovery period where they work for only a short time, so in such cases, the company prioritises their recovery.
And if you work overtime, does Starbucks pay you more? To know the answer, read this guide – Does Starbucks Offer Overtime Pay?
Is The Working Less Than 12 Hours a Week at Starbucks Policy Same Worldwide?
No, it is not the same worldwide. As Starbucks has its chain in over 80+ countries, this means that the policy depends on the country and its labour laws.
Different countries may have different views on this policy because of the differences in their labour laws.
It also depends on the average hours in that region. Some benefits depend on weekly average hours, so if you have fewer hours, you can lose most of your benefits. You can also be moved to a different category, and in that situation, you won’t lose benefits.
Work-life balance for a Starbucks Employee
Work-life balance is important for partners. Starbucks promotes flexibility, so their schedules are always up to their preference and what works best for them. Part-time roles are especially designed to fit around their commitments.
The work-life balance is dependent on the availability a lot; wider availability means less personal time, whereas low availability means more personal time. Thus, it’s important to keep a balance between those two and avoid any mental fatigue or stress from working too much. Balance can become difficult if the shifts change too much, so it’s important to keep consistency and keep up the good work while being gentle with yourself.
How to Maintain Or Increase Hours at Starbucks
Maintaining or increasing hours depends on store traffic and management. If an employee wants to increase hours, be consistently available; if the employee is consistence the managers rely on them. To know about this, use the Starbucks or Sbux Partner Hours app.
The employee also needs to show the manager that they can be dependable on the employee by working well. Good performance matters a lot; the high-performing employees are always prioritised when it comes to more shifts, as they are easy to manage.
The employee also needs to avoid any frequent cancellations and avoid missing shifts to build trust.
Support Options for Partners
If doing the 12-hour minimum is difficult for you, you can always use resources like employee assistance programs, union help, and seasonal jobs. You can also login at Starbucks Partner Hours app to get assistance.
An employee assistance program is a program that provides employees with support as well as counselling. Whereas the union help can be utilised in union stores only. To get help, go to the Starbucks Teamworks app.
Season jobs are extra jobs to give you extra hours and help you. These resources take employee satisfaction really seriously, especially the union. You can always reach out to them for help.
Conclusion
Working 12 hours a week atleast in an important requirement as it helps with job promotions, keeping benefits, and just keeping your job stable in general. If you fail to fulfil this limit, you will face consequences like losing very important benefits and getting terminated.
Only a few people have the exception to work under 12 hours a week, and those include students and people with health issues.
If you want to increase your hours, you will have to show how reliable you are because for Starbucks, reliability is an important thing, especially when it comes to the stability of the company.
