Starbucks new CEO says he’ll do BARISTA shifts for the coffee giant once a month

The new Starbucks CEO said he will do barista shifts at the coffee giant once a month after earning his certification, which requires 40 hours of in-store training.

Laxman Narasimhan took over the reins of the coffee chain on Monday from Howard Schultz about two weeks ahead of schedule.

Narasimhan has been with the company for months, joining as interim CEO in October, saying in a letter to employees that experiencing “all aspects of the business [is] to learn what it really means to wear the green apron.

It comes amid a reinvention plan unveiled by Schultz over the summer that involves $1 billion in investments aimed at updating training, improving equipment and raising wages.

It will also add other benefits for non-union employees to help modernize the brand and make it more relevant, according to CNN.

“The last six months of my immersion in the company have been shaped by many of you who have taught me about our very special culture at Starbucks,” Narasimhan wrote in the Thursday letter to employees obtained by the outlet.

‘With you, I have experienced all aspects of the business to learn what it really means to wear the green apron. They welcomed me into our stores, trained me as a barista…all to help me gain a deep understanding of what we do, how we do it, and the challenges and opportunities we face.

“To stay close to the culture and our customers, as well as our challenges and opportunities, I plan to continue working in stores half a day each month.”

Narasimhan said last year’s reinvention plan would be used to continue the focus on ‘improving the store, the customer and of course the partner experience’; the term ‘partner’ is used to refer to an employee.

More digital offerings for customers and less splurge tactics are also among the revitalization of the coffee giant, which recently introduced a new line of coffee with olive oil.

“Critically, we will reinvigorate our culture around what it means to be a Starbucks partner,” Narasimhan continued.

“I will always be a fierce defender of our partners and our culture.”

Narasimhan, who will host Starbucks’ annual shareholder meeting on Thursday, takes over the company in troubled waters as unionization takes hold.

This has of late been an uphill battle for Starbucks’ reputation.

He is said to have displayed “egregious and widespread misconduct” in his dealings with employees involved in efforts to unionize the Buffalo, New York, stores, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) administrative law judge said, Michael Roses.

Rosas said the “relentless” effort to send high-level executives to Buffalo-area stores likely “left a lasting impact as to the importance of voting against representation.”

Starbucks previously said of Rosas’ order that it is “considering all options to obtain further legal review,” adding that “we believe the decision and the remedies ordered are inappropriate given the record in this matter.”

Narasimhan (right) took over the reins of the coffee chain on Monday from Howard Schultz (left) about two weeks ahead of schedule.

Narasimhan said last year’s reinvention plan would be used to continue the focus on ‘improving the store, the customer and of course the partner experience’; the term ‘partner’ is used to refer to an employee.

Nearly 300 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize and have been certified by the NLRB so far. There are about 9,300 company-operated Starbucks stores in the US.

Union workers expect Narasimhan to be more union-friendly than Schultz.

Schultz, who remains on the Starbucks board, is scheduled to testify about Starbucks’ employment practices during a Senate hearing next week.

“It is our hope that Laxman Narasimhan will chart a new path with the union and work with us to make Starbucks the company we know it can be,” Michelle Eisen, a Starbucks worker and union organizer, said in a statement this week.