The Starbucks Workout

Two of my common topics in my blogs are coffee (generally Starbucks) and working out. It's a rare occasion when I'm able to combine the two subjects into one but an article I happened across allowed me the opportunity to do just that. Keeping employees healthy has always been one of the top priorities of most companies over the past few decades. This is mostly because of the rising costs of healthcare and the loss in revenue when you have an employee not able to work. In an industry like Starbucks, that can lead to a tremendous impact in terms of overall revenue. I mean if you have one barista who is so good that he can whip up three ultra skinny no-whip, extra-hot, double squirt chai peppermint lattes with one hand and then you have his back ups, if he's out sick then you've got customers who are going to wait longer for their drinks of choice. And given the number of Starbucks locations out there (especially in the United States) that means that your customers will go elsewhere to get their fix.

In an effort to reduce such incidents, Starbucks in implementing a pilot program to attempt to increase the overall health of employees and thus reduce healthcare costs and absences due to health related issues. For a period of eight-weeks, employees are being given memberships to health programs with the overall goal of increasing fitness and reducing weight. After the eight weeks are over, employees are encouraged to continue the programs on their own and the company is hopeful that the overall betterment of employee health will lead to less sick time and other health related issues for employees.

I think it's a good idea and definitely one that speaks to the concern of the company when it comes to the health and well-being of its employees. True there have been issues in the past few years regarding the rights and unionization of Starbucks employees to fight coroprate dictatorships but on the whole, the company seems to be taking efforts to ensure that the health of the company is not adversely affected. Not having worked in a Starbucks, I can't speak to the amount of stress and standing that they have to do during their shifts, but all I know is that at peak times, namely in the mornings and evenings, employees must be running themselves ragged. At other times, the temptation to indulge in their own coffee and sweet dish must be overwhelming. I mean have you seen those sumptious chocolate chip cookies they have?

Having worked in IT and in the IT-related industry, I know of the tendency for workers to end up grabbing whatever comes into their reach at moments of hunger. Generally the stuff is not all that healthy for you. I remember working in one office where trays used to be set up in the kitchen filled with quick snacks and other junk bits. The idea being that work would get so busy at times that it would be easier to grab a quick bite to keep going rather than stopping work to get something healthier from nearby restaurants. In the time that I worked in that office, I found that my overall health levels dropped and I wasn't working out as much as I used to be. Working out is an option for many, but with crazy work schedules and other impediments and distractions to time, it's not always possible to combine the two.

Starbucks is by no means the only company to implement this type of plan. There are other companies out there who sponsor contests within the company to promote working out and overall weight loss. I think these types of activities being promoted by the corporate world are much more favorable then the constant stream of celebration luncheons, birthday cake extravagances and other occasions that promote over-eating and overall health impediments.