WhenHoward Schultz became ceo of Starbucks in 1987 (after a brief hiatus), he knew he wanted to build a different kind of company, one that delivered business excellence through a culture of compassion.
One way to do that: extending comprehensive health coverage to part-time employees, then two-thirds of our workforce. In 1988, we became the first major retailer to offer full health benefits to eligible full- and part-time employees.
Since then, we’ve found a variety of other ways to stand out from the corporate crowd. We transformed employees into partners. We offered access to higher education in the United States and made housing more affordable in the U.K. We introduced improved parental leave packages and a critical illness insurance plan for the parents of partners in China.
Howard once wrote, “Stand by people, and they will stand by you.” For decades we've been putting those words into action by prioritizing partners, our most important assets.