Ever since 1998, Starbucks has grown tremendously in Malaysia, operating 247 stores nationwide, to date. As the management team achieves Starbucks Malaysia’s key business objectives, which include increased revenue and store growth, it also desires that people, be it the partners (employees), customers or the community, to grow with the brand. This resonates with the founding mission which is “To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”
To sustain as an Employer of Choice, Starbucks Coffee Malaysia practices strong employer branding revolving around “Connecting with Something Bigger”, ensuring Partner’s Development, cultivating Coffee & culture as well as encouraging humanity and love. The company does this in the belief that work goes far beyond just a job; that it is really about human connection.
Employer Branding
Starbucks Coffee Malaysia empowered the Deaf community by setting up the world’s first Starbucks Signing Store at Bangsar Village II, managed by hearing impaired partners. The store is dedicated to raising awareness of deaf employment and career progression. In collaboration with the Society of Interpreters for the Deaf (S.I.D), the Starbucks Outreach Community Program is hosted with 3 types of workshops – Signing (for the public to learn Malaysian sign language); Personal and Professional Development (for the Deaf Community to prepare for employment) and Deaf Empowerment and Awareness for Youth (for Deaf youth).
To take care of its employees’ wellbeing, the company provides equal benefits for both fulltime and part-time partners, and works with local financial consultants to advice on personal financing and private retirement schemes (P.R.S.) which encourage partners to plan for their future desired lifestyle and financial stability.
Partner Development
To further explore the untapped workforce, Starbucks Coffee Malaysia crafted various attractive packages for the youth and the experienced hires. Aiming to further inspire their partners, multiple opportunities such as internal promotion, learning and development, career development and expertise enhancement are provided. “Celebrating Success” has also been the company’s long-standing culture in rewarding individual and teams for their great work done.
Coffee & Culture
Coffee being the core of the business, Starbucks Coffee Malaysia constantly groom Coffee Masters and has actively provides partners a platform to showcase their creativity on handcrafted beverages. Besides opportunities to go for coffee farm origin trips, competitions such as Coffee Ambassador Championship, Barista Signature Challenge and Latte Art Competition are in place to identify top talents and to spread the love for coffee.
Out of the top three things which employees value most about the company are the working culture, Starbucks experience and the transparency within the company. This is done through multiple formats of Townhall meetings where open discussions on the state of the company and individual departments are discussed without censure. At times, many great ideas are gathered through these meetings and company policies are adjusted to provide the betterment for the employees and the company.
Humanity & Love
Starbucks Connecting Communities in Malaysia program is one of its kind Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, focusing on sustainable projects which supports the local communities by purchasing these local products and convert them into food or merchandises that are only available in Malaysia. The two main projects include Starbucks banana-based and mengkuang handi-crafted products that also promotes the Malaysian traditional culture.
It’s a commitment rooted in the belief that Starbucks can balance profitability and a social conscience. Every April, which is Global Month of Service, employees carry out CSR activities such as book drives, mangrove tree growing, and neighborhood clean-up campaigns. The company also holds annual anniversary dinners and other festive celebrations as well as health fairs, bowling tournaments and healthy cooking classes.
Starbucks Malaysia has won multiple awards for its high employee engagement level, as demonstrated by its achieving Aon Hewitt’s Best Employer Award 2015 – Best of the Best, Aon Best Employer Malaysia 2016, with special recognition on High Performance Culture, HR Asia’s Best Company to Work for in Asia 2016, and the Malaysia HR Awards 2015 – Employer of Choice, Silver among others.
