Employee Benefits - Are they REALLY??

I am sharing this article about Starbucks Employees - The didn't ask for a free Meditation App!! - Maybe employees want fair pay, fair work, ongoing education/help and maybe, some real Financial and Health Benefits that really make a difference?

As Starbucks offers new mental health benefits for employees, some workers are seeking support of a different kind. Scott Olson/Getty Images

• Starbucks is rolling out new mental health benefits for employees, including free subscriptions for the mindfulness app Headspace. 
• However, some workers are demanding more support from Starbucks, with some voicing concerns regarding understaffed locations. 
• "I think that Starbucks is taking the steps to make sure partners' mental health is being addressed and cared for," one Starbucks employee — or "partner," as the chain calls workers — told Business Insider. "However, I feel like this is just scratching the surface to fix the real issue."
• Thousands of people have signed a petition calling for Starbucks to address its "lack of labor" in recent weeks, with multiple Starbucks employees telling Business Insider their locations have cut back on staffing since late November. 
• "Our store managers make great efforts each week to balance the needs of our business, their stores, and the diverse needs of our partners against the normal seasonality we see throughout the year as customers shift their behaviors and purchases," Starbucks representative Reggie Borges said. 

As Starbucks offers new mental health benefits for employees, some workers are seeking support of a different kind. 

However, some Starbucks employees are seeking a different kind of support from the chain — in the form of higher pay or more fully staffed stores. 

"There's a multitude of reasons as to why partners are battling issues with mental health, it's not all work related," the employee said. "But Starbucks is a high stress job and from personal experience, it does affect your mental well being." 

He would prefer Starbucks focus on fixing what he calls a "toxic" environment by focusing on these staffing issues, as well as paying workers more.

"Many Starbucks workers are housing and food insecure and there have been recent petitions to get Starbucks to raise wages nationwide that have been ignored by the company," the employee said. "We didn't ask for a meditation app, we want to be able to pay our rent." 

Seeking support and staffing at Starbucks

Staffing has been a topic of conversation amongst Starbucks employees in recent years. Bloomberg/Getty

"Over the last 3.5 years and 4 different stores I have suffered from understaffing, uneducated management, and ineffective district managers that could care less about partner well being as long our sales and scores were up," reads one comment. "My depression became so severe from the stress that two max dose antidepressants and weekly counseling were just barely enough to keep the ugliest of my thoughts at bay."

Starbucks sets itself apart from most fast-food chains with its benefits for employees, including paid parental leave, tuition coverage, and a stock equity reward program. Last April, Starbucks offered all employees a pay bump in addition to their annual wage increase. 

However, on social media and in conversation with Business Insider, some employees say they are seeking more support from the company. 

"Their response has been a massive corporate wide labor reduction, elimination of performance based wages, weekly happy hours while understaffed, and now these pop up parties where some stores are taking in 300 customers per half hour." 

So then where is better pay, more hours, MORE LABOR HOURS, LESS happy hours, not having to suck up to people who you know just want free upgrades, longer breaks. I can go on, but NO thank GOODNESS we have a meditation app that I can look at while I break down on my 10.

i think it’s so funny that starbucks right now is all about mental health when everyone leaves because it quite literally destroys their mental health

That's great, but what about proper staffing and livable wages and actually following the company's mission and values?"

"It already is hard enough getting by with slightly above minimum wage and yes we are spoiled with benefits like free coffee mark outs & [Arizona State University] online it's just not enough to cover the cost of living in certain areas," reads another Reddit comment. "I get it's an entry job but [f]or the amount of stress we are put through and the hard work that goes into making this business run, there just has to be a way to give employees a raise."