Did you know everyone’s favorite coffee shop celebrates the earth with discounted coffee? There is a catch though, in order to receive your discount you must bring your own mug. This occurs on Earth Day, however this isn’t the only day Starbucks goes green. You can actually receive a 10 cent discount every time you bring your own cup. Starbucks strives to make the earth a better place, its motto: “One person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.”
Aside from the fact that today is Earth Day and you should all go get your coffee, I have a point for sharing this with you.
Starbucks is known for being a Responsible Company.
What is a Responsible Company?
CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility. This is the responsibility a business has to its community. It’s more than volunteering at the local shelter, it’s how your business can make the community it serves a better place. Starbucks embraced this with its cups and nailed it. Coffee shops use an insane amount of paper products. They are trying to cut down use and sustain trees. They go one step further by using only recycled material, providing recycling services and building completely green stores. “Our goal is to ensure 100% of our cups are reusable or recyclable by 2015.” By doing this, Starbucks shows its employees and its customers that it cares about more than profits.
Examples of CSR:
- Microsoft’s Corporate Citizenship
- Disney’s Ticket Exchange
- Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign
Why is this Important?
Company Culture is more than just incentives (which Starbucks also provides); many factors contribute to the culture including: the work environment and corporate values. A barista is one of the most physically exhausting jobs one can have. You are on your feet for hours at a time, you lose the feeling in your hands from coffee burns and your day starts at 4 am. So what is appealing about working for Starbucks? The answer is the culture Starbucks has created. People want to feel pride in the job they do. Knowing that a company is doing good by the community is an attractive quality to job seekers.
The Different Components of Company Culture:
A company culture should be well rounded and provide something for everyone. It is something unique to a company that makes people want to work there. As an example here is a breakdown of what goes into Starbuck’s culture.
- Community
- Environment
- Ethics
- Development
- Diversity
- Relationships
Creating your own Company Culture:
No company is the same, each one should have its own culture; a culture that fits the needs of the employees. This means what works for Starbucks may not work for you.
Remember culture isn’t just incentives; it takes company values and a specific environment to attract the right talent. Do you participate in CSR? We would love to hear about what your company does for its community in the comments below.