Starbucks’ Military Employees Get Special Blend of Support
American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Sept. 7, 2006 – Starbucks didn’t just wish then-Army Capt. Matt Parkinson well when he was activated to serve in Iraq as part of the Washington National Guard.
Instead, the company went above and beyond what the federal law requires employers do for activated reserve-component personnel, Parkinson said. The company made up the difference between his civilian and military pay and maintained his benefits while he was activated, between November 2003 and February 2005.
He said his supervisors and friends within the company offered him any support he needed, whether it was personal or job related.
"It’s not just me," Parkinson, who’s now a major in the Army Reserve, said. "That’s how they treat any other partner. It’s an amazing place."
"Starbucks is a company with soul,"” he added.
More than 200 of Starbucks’ military partners, as employees are called, have been the beneficiaries of that soul since the beginning of the global war on terrorism, Dave Pace, executive vice president of partner resources, said.
That soul, along with morale-boosting shipments of coffee and mugs to his unit in Iraq, also prompted Parkinson to nominate Starbucks for a Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The company is one of 15 employers to receive the award, given by the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Defense Department agency.
Read the rest at Bakersfield Online
Instead, the company went above and beyond what the federal law requires employers do for activated reserve-component personnel, Parkinson said. The company made up the difference between his civilian and military pay and maintained his benefits while he was activated, between November 2003 and February 2005.
He said his supervisors and friends within the company offered him any support he needed, whether it was personal or job related.
"It’s not just me," Parkinson, who’s now a major in the Army Reserve, said. "That’s how they treat any other partner. It’s an amazing place."
"Starbucks is a company with soul,"” he added.
More than 200 of Starbucks’ military partners, as employees are called, have been the beneficiaries of that soul since the beginning of the global war on terrorism, Dave Pace, executive vice president of partner resources, said.
That soul, along with morale-boosting shipments of coffee and mugs to his unit in Iraq, also prompted Parkinson to nominate Starbucks for a Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The company is one of 15 employers to receive the award, given by the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Defense Department agency.
Read the rest at Bakersfield Online
posted by iraqnam at 5:08 PM
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