Starbucks to shut US stores for racial-bias training

Unconscious biases may be the toughest to tackle for organisations looking to create genuinely diverse and inclusive workplaces, but what if they affect how an employee handles its customers?

Amid a highly publicised controversy, Starbucks will close 8,000 of its company-owned cafes in the US on 29 May to put 175,000 employees through “racial bias education”.

The coffee giant will also provide training materials for non-company workers at the roughly 6,000 licensed cafes across the country. These privately-owned outlets will remain open for the day.

The move follows outrage over an employee’s misjudgement which resulted in the arrest of two black men. The outlet’s manager made a 911 call saying they were trespassing.

A video of the arrest had gone viral, leading to a call for a boycott of its cafes.

The men have since been released without any charges. Their lawyer told a CBS affiliate that they had merely been waiting for another person to arrive before conducting a business meeting.

The employee had called the police saying that “two gentlemen in my café are refusing to make a purchase or leave”. The staff is no longer working for the global coffee company.

Chief executive Kevin Johnson has apologised for the “reprehensible” arrests of the two men in Philadelphia. He has also taken personal responsibility for the incident.

“While this is not limited to Starbucks, we’re committed to being a part of the solution,” he said.

“Closing our stores for racial bias training is just one step in a journey that requires dedication from every level of our company and partnerships in our local communities.”

According to Reuters, regardless of whether the boycott will take place, the temporary closure of its cafes will impact sales revenue. Starbucks did not disclose how long the “afternoon” of training will take.