Somebody tell this Starbucks manager about the company's Save-the-Earth philosophy

Fabian Mills says his Starbucks district manager told him it was inappropriate to ride his bike to a meeting, and that she'd prefer he use a car. Four days after this conversation took place, district manager Frances Ericson transferred Mills to a store, forcing him to add 16 miles to his daily bike commute. Ericson allegedly said, "you should just get over riding your bike." (He decided to leave the company.) Ericson declined to comment to BikePortland.org about her remarks. (BikePortland.org)

Comments

Maybe he had bad body odor from the exercise?

[Kelly]

I recently saw this same type of action, a partner at my store was up for a promotion, but once they found out she uses public transportation and her bike to get to work, they decide to hold off, until she gets a car. I am in line to move up, and was also told the same thing, that I should take care of my transportation issues before my interview comes along; really, I love biking to work, even in my Portland, Oregon weather!

How do they expect anybody working as a Shift Supervisor waiting to be promoted to an ASM to even be able to afford a car? Rent is hard enough on the pay.

[Brandon]

I don't want to point any fingures or create any false assumptions here however it is very possible that the whole story has not been reported. its very likely that this employee was late for the meeting and used that as an excuse. That wouldn't suprise me. If the employee was on time, all the time however, there is no excuse for that.

well one thing i'd say is that the DM probably told him to give up the bike, knowing he was going to be transfered; not transfering him as punishment or incentive to stop biking...
as transfers often take more than a few days (in the discussion process at least).

outside of that i think he should complain/report it, since bikes are so much cooler than cars - and promote health as well as take away polutions..

so i can't see starbucks supporting a DM who believed that.

[Jonathan Maus]

Just FYI, Fabian Mills did report the incident to Starbucks biz ethics, HR, and others.

He doesn't feel like they really took any steps to reprimand the manager.

I think the problem with this situation is that Starbucks does not respect the community enough to address the issue is some way.

Even if they offered a statement of denial that would be better than talking to us with a bunch of PR/Corporate babble.

Throwing money at bike events is easy, but a company that really cares about the environment and livability would come out and be tough on this manager...or if she doesn't deserve it they should set the record straight with Fabian and the community.

[Lauren]

I suppose I could see the justice in a shift supervisor needing a car (to take the deposit at my store it's a 4 mile drive) -- but I still think that they should do things to accomodate situations.

Especially when there's such a huge movement around bikes available.

Perhaps the concern is that the bike rider would be sweaty and not "professionally presentable" at the meeting?

There is some bias in the US against public transportation. If a person is late to work because their bus or train or whatever didn't show up and had to wait for the next scheduled run the treatment can be different than if the excuse is the car wouldn't start or they were stuck in traffic due to an accident on the highway.

But I can see a company's position where an employee who needs to open or close or handle bank deposits or some other responsibility that reliable transportation is a given. Rightly or wrongly the perception is that public transportation is NOT reliable.

I suppose participation in a carpool would be prohibited as well then?

[Melina]

After reading the story and all comments here and at the biking site, including clarification from the author of the story and the subject, I came to the conclusion that Frances's statements, albeit not very bike-friendly sounding, might have been taken out of context or confused. Maybe she meant to say that they are seriously considering Fabian for a promotion because of the great job he's done as a manager, and having a bike as possibly his sole method of transportation might keep him from getting the promotion to a territory with some huge mileage radius (although, there seems to be a Starbucks every five miles or so here in San Diego). Maybe Fabian cannot afford a car and took these comments personally and offensively?

Who knows what the whole entire context of the conversation was, but everyone does know that there are always two sides to every story. The fact that Frances demurred and deflected to corporate HR or marketing doesn't reflect well on her.

I worked with a guy that always rode his bike from the train station, and I greatly admired his discipline to get up early enough to bike, train, bike and do the whole routine after work every weekday.

Something just sounds odd about this story...

[bob]

on starbucks' side though:

if they DID reprimand the DM, they wouldn't share that information as it's confidential in nature/about corrective action; and isn't anyones business.

(to know that it's being looked in to, and taken care of is the extent of the shared information)

other than that, i won't support starbucks whole heartedly on this, since i know there have been many times where we've opted for the easier course of action instead of the right one - when dealing with 'problem' managers/DMs and not taking action against them (or harsh enough) even when the evidence supports it...

although, alot of that could be explained away when you see the crazy lawsuits and stuff...
dunno.

would like more information though.

[ANGRY BIKER]

I'm appreciative of all the different angles about this situation. If Frances does have an unfriendly bias against bike commuting (and assuming he manages a professional appearance) then this DM is a total CUNT and should be held to account.

[CuteBarista!]

man. i really hope this story (as it was presented) isn't true.

as for my store, in center city philadelphia, we only have about two partners in my store (of about 20 people) who even have a car. my current SM was recently promoted from ASM, and she rides her bike to work every day and is militantly anti-car (she has even gone as far as giving and/or loaning bikes to store partners to use).

i started riding my bike to work about three months ago, and since then i've lost about twenty pounds and have killer awesome legs. :) seems like a win-win situation to me...i get in shape, i don't pay for the bus, gas, car repairs or insurance, and i get to ride in own little lane, which is never clogged with traffic.

[averrycafinatedbarrista]

agreed, most of the partners at my store either carpool, take public transportaiton, walk , or take a bike to there job. we even have one barrista who is a bike courier by profession and works on the side as a barrista. we do all of this without complaint from either the ASM, the SM or the DM of the area.

something smells fishy...

[--]

If there are a lot of DM's out there with the attitude that an employee won't get a promotion w/o their own vehicle, they could open themselves up to some serious discrimination claims as well. There are quite a few people out there who CAN'T get a drivers license for medical or vision reasons...if someone in that situation was denied a promotion because they have to travel to work on a bus or train, it's a lawsuit waiting to happen.

[Richard]

I agree that there is probably a "rest of the story" here.

And another thing: is his morning commute uphill or downhill? I used to ride my bike to work, and I tended to be a tad smelly because of it. I wasn't in a job where that mattered, but if customer contact is involved, it might be a different story.

[elaine]

Though I've never worked for Starbucks, I was a store manager for another large corporation. Managers having cars is pretty standard. From my experience, a huge responsibility of being a store manager is ensuring that your store is staffed during all open hours. This means having to book it to the store when someone calls in sick at the last minute. As a retail manager, the store you're be given might be 25 miles (or farther) from where you live. Retail managers tend to get moved around quite a bit. When making necessary moves DM's don't want to have to worry about how their store managers will get to their stores in a hurry. One of my colleagues did not have a car and had to take a taxi to his store one morning when someone no-showed. Waiting for the taxi took a long time, and his store opened late - a BIG no-no. When a store manager does not have reliable RAPID transportation, it puts additional stresses on all of his colleagues and his superiors.

[Me]

Im told that at the ASM/SM level, you have to be prepared to work up to a 60KM radias... if this is the case, I see why it would be stressed that one should own a vehicle, and being transferred that distance is then not uncommon.

Anyone know if this is true?

[Fabian Mills]

I just want to clarify a few things about comments being posted.

First I would like to state that I was neither late or out of dress code for our meeting.
There are more than 150 store in the Portland Metro market, my store was only 6 miles from my house. On occation, I would drive my car however, only when necessary e.g. to pick up product or such, I choose to ride my bike as a lifestyle choice to help protect our environment. The store that I was being transfered to was about 20 miles away from my house. (there are more than 15 stores within a 3 mile radius of my house)

My story is just my side of the events. I can tell you that when discussing the events with HR, I was told that Frances dis admit to the things that were said however, for obvious reasons Starbucks will not admit that.

In no way should the means by which an employee travels to work dictate their ability or lack there of for promotion. It would be ridiculous to assume that everyone who works in NY drive a car to work, why should the model be different elsewhere?

Fabian

[Bill]

Simple solution---

Buy the young man a company car, pay his insurance parking, fuel and maintenance. Have him promise in wiriting he will only use the vehicle for company approved business.

They can buy him a hybrid if they wish, or they can go the other route and get the biggest Hummer they can find. It's up to Starbucks.

[coffeegirl]

When I lived in Portland and worked at a downtown store, most of our partners lived on the east side and cycled to work because there was no affordable long-term parking nearby, there were a lot of vehicle break-ins in our part of town, and there was no public transportation at the hour of the morning when openers were to arrive.

A partner was once late to work because one of the drawbridges went up and he had to bike to another bridge in order to cross. The DM found out about it and put up a big notice in our back room telling us it was a "best practice" for openers to drive to work.

Everyone raised holy hell. It would have cost a barista his/her daily wages to park in our neighborhood, and the car would quite likely have been vandalized or stolen. (Don't laugh. It happened to me multiple times while I lived there.) After a week, the sign went away.

The realities of working in downtown Portland at a low-paying job and being able to make the rent pretty much dictate cycling as a lifestyle choice. The fact that it's fun, eco-friendly, and good for you are just fringe benefits.

But I often noted a bias against cycling from higher up. I think a lot of management folks, particularly externals, don't understand just how hard it is to make it on a barista or even shift's pay. Sometimes cycling really is the only affordable transportation option.

[Summer]

Listen I have worked for several retail outlets, including STBX and the people who take public transportation or bikes always have excuses for being late or for not being about to stay longer. As a manager you need a flexable staff and and staff that shows up on time. You can not have a shift that can not take a deposit on a bike or the bus.
This is job not a charity, if you can not fullfuill the requirments because you chose to ride a bike or take the bus..get another job.

[HopkinsBella]

Weirdly, Coffeegirl, I think you're on to something as far as noticing a "bias against cycling from higher up." I didn't experience it at Starbucks, but when one thinks about societal constructs regarding people who bike to work, most people approach coworkers who bike for transport in the business world as....less corporate, or business-like. Cars rule America.

[CuteBarista!]

Summer:

i call bullshit. i have been late ONCE for work in the last six months, and it was when i took the bus. similarly, i've found, at least at my store, the people who are late are the ones taking ever-so-reliable SEPTA, NOT the ones biking. and i open on average 3-4 times a week.

in the neighborhood i work in, there simply isn't parking available. when i used to drive to work, i had to park an average of eight blocks away, and then involved spending at least 20 minutes actually looking for a space. so not worth it.

[Becca]

I am one of two employees at my store with a car. The manager doesn't have a car, just two siftleads (myself included). It's not practical in our city to have a car, and I only do because I have a dog. When I opened, I would bike to work every day, and I was always early, now that I close, I drive, because I don't feel like biking 10 km at 1 am, and it's a pain having a car to get to work. they cannot be biased based on modes of transportation.

[Susan]

Cute,
STBX is s business and it their right to require a car if they feel it is necessary...it is a job not a charity.

[bob]

that may be true susan, but no where is it a requirement for a manager to have a car.

it's not written anywhere.

it may be in some DMs contracts - to have reliable transportation, but not in a managers. they just need to be able to get to the store.

and in some cities (like mine) the most reliable transportation is the public one.

[Lou Sussler]

What does having a dog have to do with having a car?

/Curious/

[Bill]

Wow...I was from center city philadelphia where a car was not needed by anyone and is not considered a reliable for a transportation, then i moved to Tucson were i sling lattes 15 miles from my home from which I bike everyday. If it is not in the handbook that a "CAR" is mandatory, then starbucks legally cannot even consider transportation when promoting staff. It is against the law.

[Boston Starbucks Rebel]

Hi! I would like to say that all those people who own cars should also not be supporting the war in Iraq because by buying gas you support Arab countries. These Arab countries do not support human rights whether they be those of women or religious liberty. I do not own a car because I do not wish to support oppresive goverments in other parts of the world. People should be allowed to worship as they please and women should be allowed freedom that is proper to their personhood. OIL=Violation of human rights!

When it comes to being a manager, a vehicle would be needed. To attend out of area or district meetings, training workshops and in the event product needs to be transfered to your or other stores. On average, riding a bike or using public transportation is good and promoted,(unsless body odor does take a play) but when the time comes to use a private vehicle, it is required. Borrowing of vehicles is an issue due to insurance. The vehicle should be registered and insured in the employees or managers name.

[Krunch]

This is crazy, my manager doesn't have a car or know how to drive. (I mock her, but not because she can't do her job). None of our shift team have cars either. Maybe this is more of a thing in suburban or remote stores, but we're in the middle of a small city (no regional office) and I can't think of a single problem.

[HopkinsBella]

So, Anonymous comment OCT 19, 2006 3:19:55 PM, are you suggesting a store or company car? To echo what a couple others said above, I don't remember any training or job descriptions mandating a car for any job position at Starbucks.

[ElliesMom]

Bob, in a lot of areas, if you have a dog, a car is a great convenience. It is hard to call a taxi or arrange a ride with a friend any time you need to take the dog to the vet, the dog park, or anywhere else. Most public tranportation does not allow dogs.
I guess you could get a bike and a little wagon to pull behind it, and strap a dog crate onto the wagon.

It shouldn't be the manager or dm's job to worry how employees will get to off-sight meeting or how employees will get from point A to point B. It should only matter that they get there at the correct time. Yes, there are some district meetings that require you to travel, but as long as you get there on time, it shouldn't matter how you get there. If you want to ride the bus or take a bike or even walk, it's your responsibility to leave with enough time to get there. Elane mentioned above (Posted by: elaine | Oct 18, 2006 8:34:13 PM) that retial managers sometimes need to get to their store quickly in an emergency. So does that mean that even if you have a car, you have to live within 5 minutes driving distance? No company will ever put a restriction on the farthest you can live away from your job. As long as you make it there on time, there is no problem. If you are late, the manager should address the lateness, not the method of transportation that caused you to be late.

Mr. Boston,
Before you spout your gabbaly gook be sure you know of what you speak.

I can't believe there is a national retail/foodservice chain out there that is this profitable and doesn't use a pick/change service for deposits. Fucking insane.

[Lauren]

Anonymous (October 19th 9:27 pm)--

Perhaps that's the wave of the future? Christ...that'd save me SO much labor. Imagine the breaks I could give!

[Nocturne]

There is no legal basis for a DM to mandate a form of transportation for an employee. As long as they are on time, it's none of the company's business how they get there (and a 3-mile trip for someone who is accustomed to it probably won't work up that much sweat.) The DM is obviously an ass and should be disciplined if not fired. Sounds harsh, but I know the effect and incompetent and domineering DM can have on managers and employees, and if this unprofessional display is how this person acts on a daily basis then it =will= be a detriment to the business as a whole. I seriously hope Mr. Mills is talking to a lawyer about this.

[Ned]

Once again, we see Starbucks employees (in this case, managers) "making it up." That is, inventing requirements that are not in any Starbucks training manual.

Yesterday, it was employees angry at customers who were following the explicit directives of Starbucks management and helping themselves to lots of half&half. Some Starbucks employees thought it should not be allowed!

Now, Starbucks managers are trying to "make up" rules about employee's transportation arrangements.

Oh, lord, when and where will it end? WHY, WHY, can't Starbucks employees, INCLUDING managers, (for managers are employees also) simply follow what's in the handbook?

THIS is why I almost always buy my coffee at independent coffee places or very small chains. THEY follow their employee manuals -- yes they do! And, as a result of the obedience and discipline they practice, I have a fine experience.

Stop the disobedience, Starbucks employees! Stop the self-indulgent manufacturing of bogus rules, Starbucks managers! Obey and ye shall prosper.

(Ned works himself up into full steet crazy mode, waving his arms and shouting at the sky. "Repent, corporate coffee workers! Return to the rules, for the rules are God's word.")

[anon]

I think this is a uniquely American conversation... I'm kind of blown away by the percentage of Americans I know who just take it for granted that a car is a necessity. Even the cyclists I know in the US have cars parked at home! At my workplace of about 300 I know of two who drive (one drives a Smartcar.)

[anonymous]

This is not legal advice:
Federal discrimination laws apply on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or age. Transportation is not a protected class except where driving a car is impossible due to age or disability. The manager may be a jerk and going against Starbuck's intent, but she wasn't doing anything illegal according to federal law.

[Becca]

Lou- When taxis, metros, and buses won't drive you and your dog, you need a car to: get to the vet, get to the airport to fly home for christmas (I'm a student after all, and don't really want to spend my holidays alone), get to the kennel, get to offleash parks (I live downtown in a 2.5 million person city), in the case of an emergency (like when a drunken cyclist hit my dog, her leg got cuaght in the spokes of the bike, and she almost lost her paw--at this time I didn't have a car, and no one would drive me, no matter what I offered to pay-so I had to carry her 25 blocks in the middle of winter, with her paw dangling off). I can tell you right off, if I didn't have a dog, I wouldn't have a car.

[Deusx]

"Wow...I was from center city philadelphia where a car was not needed by anyone and is not considered a reliable for a transportation, then i moved to Tucson were i sling lattes 15 miles from my home from which I bike everyday. If it is not in the handbook that a "CAR" is mandatory, then starbucks legally cannot even consider transportation when promoting staff. It is against the law." -Bill

In what way is this against the law? If a manager decided they only want to promote red heads that would be as legal as any other criteria. As for whether or not it's company policy, how many of you "experts" have access to DM level emails, memos and other policy resources? I see both sides to this but if this guy is at a store where the bank isn't across the street and his home is more than five miles away, how is requiring him to own a car an unreasonable scenario.

Also, the person in question supposedly does own a car, but chooses not to use it. His boss asked him to do so, he refused (apparently). If you like being paid, you do what your boss asks you to do if it doesn't violate a law or policy, which driving to work does neither.

[Becca]

Until we get paid for our commute to work, our employers have no right to dictate what mode of transportation we choose. If this guy was getting payed for the time he spent getting to and from work, I would agree that Sbux would have exvery right to tell him to use his car. But they don't. His commute is his free time (so long as he's not late) and no employer has any right to tell us how to spend our free time.

[SBUX for life]

Ok... I have actually seen this happen in my district. An ASM was told that she wouldn't be able to move up in the company until she gets a car. THIS IS BECAUSE people in management need to be able to go anywhere at the drop of a hat. Relying on public transportation or bycicling eliminates this ability. I do agree that they should be promoting good earth stuff, but it is a management practicality issue.

[Deusx]

He is getting PAID to commute to work, he is a salaried employee. Also, refusing to promote you because of your mode of transportation is in no way dictating how you travel. It's dictating what they consider necessary for a job. You are not forced to do said job.

[SoCal Barista]

I live in the land of cars, Southern California. You wouldnt believe how people worship their cars here...Anyway, EVERYONE has at least one car here and let me tell you, having a car does not promise that you will be on time!!!!!!!!
Having a car does not mean you can afford a reliable mechanic at the drop of a hat nor does it promise that you won't have to spend 4 or 5 hours on the 405 trying to get to Regional....
If I had a dollar for everytime I had to wait for a co-worker to show up for an opening shift so I could go into the store, I'd be Howard Schultz!!!!! RICH, RICH, RICH!!!!!!!

Having a car, IN NO WAY, means you will be on time to work!!!! But there is still a bias towards people with cars even tho it's illogical. I agree with above-when sbux starts paying me for time commuted, they can have a say in how I do it.

[Someone]

My district is getting armoured car deposit pik-up, apparently, so the manager wont even have to do that. It's about time!

Also non-managers are not suposed to go pick up supplies from other stores here-only managers...So, if you order well, even a manager wouldn't need a car.
I REALLY hope that Starbucks isnt discriminating against partners without a car, or who choose not to use one. That would be contrary to our guiding principals. ( Corporate: I Hope you're listening!).

[caffeinated]

He wasn't getting paid for the actual commute time - only for his shift. So how he chooses to spend his pre-and-post-shift time, in this case, biking, is definitely none of his bosses concerns. There was no need for the retribution of sending him to a store that was too far to bike to. If my nationally-branded employer started to dictate how all of its employees got to work, there would be only a handful of people left. And yes, we're all salaried as well.

[Deusx]

Perhaps Caffeinated, you don't understand the difference between salary and hourly. A salary is a set amount one makes over a calender year. The basic concept is "we will pay you X for a year of your time. During that year, we will generally only expect you to work 40 hours a week, but you are responsible to work whenever you are told or need to."

But thats neither here nor there, the point still stands that they are not telling him how to commute, they are telling him if he wants X, he will do Y, it's a choice he made.