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Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) has increased the level of screening of external applications for the chain’s new baristas. The screening process now includes being reviewed by district managers in addition to the manager of the store where they’re applying, sources tipped Bloomberg. District managers were noted to normally oversee about 10 locations and were not previously part of the hiring process for each store.
The change coincides with an effort by Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol to increase staffing at the coffee chain in a reversal of past years when the average number of workers at stores was reduced. Notably, Starbucks (SBUX) has said that nearly all of its more than 10,000 company-operated locations in the U.S. will have more workers by the end of September.
Niccol has a long-term goal to create a pipeline of talent so that within three years, 90% of retail leadership roles are promotions from within the Seattle-based company.
Understaffing has been one of the points of contention of the Starbucks Workers United, which is a grassroot, worker-driven union movement that has rapidly organized thousands of Starbucks employees across the U.S.
Shares of Starbucks (SBUX) traded flat in the premarket session on Tuesday. The restaurant stock is up 9.4% over the last six weeks.