Starbucks recently announced plans to invest in full-time Assistant Store Managers so Store Managers can focus more on developing their teams. In my opinion, this change has been a long time coming.
When I worked at Starbucks starting back in 2014, this was always an issue. Store Managers were pulled in every direction imaginable. They were responsible for administrative work( scheduling, payroll, inventory) and at the same time expected to jump behind the bar, work the drive-thru, or cover the register whenever needed. In reality, the best managers were acting as barista, supervisor, and Store Manager all rolled into one.
And when someone called out? That responsibility often fell on the Store Manager too. Whether it meant rearranging the schedule at the last minute or coming in on their day off to cover a shift, it added even more pressure to an already overwhelming role.
This created a lot of tension in the position. Many Store Managers worked extremely long hours, and although Starbucks has always offered some of the best employee benefits I’ve seen, especially for part-time employees in a fast-food environment, the work-life balance often suffered. Over time, that stress took a toll.
It wasn’t uncommon to see high turnover among Store Managers. When a Store Manager left, the entire store felt the impact. A new manager coming in usually brought big changes, sometimes causing tension and uncertainty. I often noticed that when leadership changed, baristas and shift supervisors would start thinking seriously about quitting. The culture could turn sour almost overnight.
I even witnessed one case where nearly the entire team of shift supervisors left after a new manager arrived, almost 90% turnover in a short time.
This is the domino effect of lacking support:
Overextended managers burn out
Turnover increases
Store culture deteriorates
Customer service suffers
By investing in full-time Assistant Store Managers, Starbucks is taking a proactive step to break that cycle. Giving Store Managers the space to focus on people development, training, and leadership, instead of being stretched across every task, can only benefit employees and customers alike.
Why does this matter to small businesses? Because even as one of the world’s biggest coffee brands, Starbucks is learning lessons that apply to any organization: when you stretch your leaders too far, you pay the price in turnover, low morale, and lost revenue. Small businesses can take note of this example and look for ways to support their own managers before burnout starts a costly domino effect.
Supporting your leaders means supporting your entire business. And sometimes, that starts with giving them enough help to do the job well.
