Starbucks' new CEO — who lives 1,000 miles from HQ — will not tell employees what specific days to come into the office
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- Starbucks' new CEO, Brian Niccol, did not issue a new RTO mandate in his first address to employees.
- The three-day office policy will remain in place.
- Niccol will commute from Newport Beach to Seattle using Starbucks' jet.
Starbucks' new CEO, Brian Niccol, has not issued a new mandate about returning to the office.
He told employees to work wherever they needed to ensure they were doing their jobs, according to a transcript from his first forum with staff earlier this month, reported by Bloomberg.
Niccol already has special permission to live at his current home in Newport Beach and commute 995 miles to Starbucks' headquarters in Seattle using the company's jet.
The coffee giant also said it would set up a remote office in the boss' hometown with an assistant of his choice.
The announcement was at first met with criticism, as corporate workers within commuting distance have had to comply with a three-day return-to-office policy.
Niccol did not announce any new on-site requirements. However, the current RTO mandate of three days has also not been changed, per Bloomberg.
Busness Insider contacted Starbucks for comment but didn't immediately hear back.
He said there was "power in having everybody together," yet would not be telling employees which specific days or times they had to be in the Seattle head office.
"This is not a game of tracking," Niccol said, "this is a game of winning."
It's a starkly different approach from Amazon's recent move to end remote work entirely. Starting in January, all corporate staffers must be in the office five days a week, and employees will have assigned desks in workplaces that previously had them.
Niccol did, however, cite several amenities at its HQ that could entice people to work in person more frequently, including a day care and a gym on the grounds.
"My point of view is we should be together as much as possible. You need to figure out where you need to be to get your job done, then do that," he said, adding: "We're all adults here."