4 days in-office week for Starbucks US & Canada staff
Starbucks has ordered its corporate staff in certain US and Canada locations back to the office for four days a week, starting October 2025, as reported by CNBC.
Affected locations include Seattle and Toronto support centers, as well as regional offices across North America.
While the company previously required three days of in-office work, employees will be expected to work on-site Monday through Thursday.
A one-time exit cash payment is offered by the company to staff who choose to leave rather than comply with the new requirement.
In February, Starbucks vice-presidents, working remotely, were asked to move to Seattle or Toronto, and the requirement is now extended to all support centre “people leaders”.
Operational changes and workforce trends
The suggested shift was justified by Starbucks as part of efforts to rebuild in-office culture and support a broader turnaround strategy, including simplifying menus, improving café experiences, and cutting service times.
The policy follows a series of cost-cutting moves by the company, including a lay off of 1,100 corporate employees in February 2025, and freezing of hundreds of open roles.
Despite these efforts, Starbucks’ US sales have not shown improvement as of yet, with a 1% drop in earnings reported in the first quarter of 2025.
Starbucks joins other major companies such as Amazon, JP Morgan, and Google in tightening remote work policies.
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