FD B Unit 2: Barista Recruitment, Skills & HRM Importance at Starbucks

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the human resource aspect of Starbucks, focusing on the role of a barista. It begins with an introduction to Human Resource Management and background information on Starbucks, a global coffee house chain. The report details the job description of a barista, including required skills and attributes such as communication, customer service, and the ability to work under pressure. It evaluates how these attributes contribute to the organization's success and emphasizes the importance of HRM in maintaining customer relationships, driving revenue, and fostering a positive work environment. Essential documents for the position, such as a cover letter and resume, are also discussed. The report concludes by highlighting the significance of skills in ensuring the long-term success of Starbucks, a customer-oriented business.

Running head: BUSINESS RESOURCES
BUSINESS RESOURCES
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
The given report throws light on the human resource aspect of the coffee giant Starbucks.
Starbucks is a global coffee house chain with more than 20000 outlets globally. The chosen job
role for the given assignment is that of a barista. The report begins with a brief introduction on
the human resource aspect and the background information of the company Starbucks. The
report follows a systematic format whereby the job description of a barista is stated followed by
the required skills and attributes required. The latter half of the report states the manner in which
these attributes will contribute towards organization success and how this will help in making
Starbucks better than it already is. The importance of human resource management in Starbucks
has also been outlined.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Job Role Details...............................................................................................................................4
Job description and skills required..................................................................................................4
Required Attributes..........................................................................................................................6
Documents necessary.......................................................................................................................8
Evaluation of the importance of skills for Starbucks.......................................................................9
Importance of HRM.......................................................................................................................11
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................13
References......................................................................................................................................14

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Introduction
Human resource Management is largely concerned with the management of the human
resources of the firm who form an integral part of the firm. It is important to seek after the right
employees as they are the ones through which the employees are able to gain a firsthand
impression of the firm (Cascio 2018). The given report is based on Starbucks.
Starbucks Corporation is an American company which sells coffee and owns one of the
largest coffee houses around the globe. The company was found in Sydney in 1971. Currently,
the given company operates in 25000 outlets worldwide (Starbucks Coffee Company
2018.).Starbucks is the primary representation of the second wave coffee which is different from
the other coffee makers through its unique taste, style and quality (Bradshaw 2014).However,
presently the coffee chain makes use of espresso machines which are automated in nature.
A large variety of coffees is sold by Starbucks which range from hot, cold and whole
bean coffees. Apart from coffees, the company also sells Fresh juices, beverages and pastries.
The stores also sell pre packed food items including beer wine and appetizers. The given report
will throw light on one such job role in Starbucks which is that of a barista. A barista can be
described as a person working in a coffee shop and selling coffee to the customers. He helps
them to indulge in a richer experience (Bratton and Gold 2017). The report shall briefly describe
the job roles and description of a barista and then describe the contribution that a barista would
be making to the success of the organization.

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Job Role Details
The primary role of a barista is to promote the consumption of the coffee in the given
store by creating awareness among the customers (Wong and Laschinger 2013). His main job is
to sell coffee and indulge in coffee grinding, brewing activity and management of supplies. He
also has to prepare a variety of coffee drink and serve them along with cookies and pastries.
At starbucks, a barista would be the primary point of contact for a person who would be
visiting the coffee house for a drink. He must be able to provide them a good experience so that
they are attracted to visiting the store regularly (Chelladurai and Kerwin 2017). Very often
certain stores and houses used to find it an easy task to hire the barista as they believed that it is a
simple job, however this is not the case and it is very essential for the firm to hire a well
qualified barista who knows how to communicate with people and serve them the right kind of
coffee that makes their day.
Apart from just serving coffees and maintaining customer satisfaction in the given
outlets, certain baristas are also expected to come up with new product ideas and combo meal
packages. It is their responsibility to increase the sales of the stores and they should see to it that
they are able to do this in a well qualified manner.
Job description and skills required
Barista Job Description
The job description of a Barista would be as follows:
Barista Job Responsibilities:

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The primary responsibility of a barista is to increase the consumption of coffee in the
outlet by creating a sense of awareness among the customers by indulging in activities like
coffee grinding, brewing of equipment, grinding of coffee, maintaining adequate supplies at the
stores and to serve a wide variety of coffee drinks along with pastries and cookies (Renwick,
Redman and Maguire 2013).
Barista Job Duties:
The job duties of a Barista are as follows:
 Makes a warm environment by welcoming customers respectfully and determining the
kind of coffee they would be interested in
 Creating awareness among the customers by telling them about the different coffees as
offered by the given company (Pató 2015).
 Make the perfect cup of coffee for the customers and sell them in an attractive manner.
They must be having the capability to differentiate between the coffee beans and
understand how brewing takes place (Mader-Clark 2013).
 Increases the revenue of the outlet by attracting new customers and expanding present
services
 He will also be responsible for maintaining the inventories and replenish the system
whenever the need arises
 It is his job duty to promote a safe and healthy work environment.
 He will also be required to update his knowledge and stay tuned with respect to the latest
trends. This can be done by reading, taking workshops and maintaining personal
networks (Monster Hiring Resource Center 2018).

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 He must also enhance the reputation of the coffee outlet by accepting unique customer
requests and fulfilling their needs.
Skills and Qualifications required:
The barista must be a good listener
 He must be extremely good in communication
 Must have an ardent customer focus
 Awareness about safety
 Must be a perceiver of relevant skills
 Is required to be action oriented
 Profound Understanding of customer needs
 Indulge n long term client relationships.
Required Attributes
Attributes can be described as an in built quality in a person which makes him unique and
suitable for a job. These attributes are primarily inbuilt in an individual but can also be
developed over the time. Given below are a set of attributes which must be possessed by me by
the end of the course in order to become a successful barista.
An extrovert with an indulging personality
Having an extrovert personality is one of the essential requirements of the job role of a
barista and therefore it is expected that an extrovert person with a good personality will go a long
way in successfully completing the duties of the firm. A barista is required to deal with a wide

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number of customers and if he is unable to understand the demands of the different customers by
just observing them then he might face a large number of difficulties in future.
High quality customer skills
Customer is the primary reason why a coffee store is in existence. The barista must see to
it that his customer engagement skills are quite high and he is able to successfully deliver
whatever the customer needs out of him. The customer skills also involve handling complaints
and grievances. If a person is able to do that successfully, he will be able to become a good
barista.
Ability to work under pressure
The pressure at Starbucks is very high during the peak hours. There are hundreds of
customers present all of whom would like to be served their coffees on time and the correct
flavor. They also tend to create confusion during the peak hours by continuously changing their
mind with respect to their requirement (Verboncu and Zeininger 2015). However, as a barista the
individual must have the ability to manage the given pressure as this will be a consistent part of
his job. In his ability to do so the person must always remain calm and handle complaints
peacefully.
Ability to work in a team as well as work individually
A barista would have a large number of waiters under him with whom he is required to
coordinate and work successfully. He needs to give out orders to them so that they are able to
carry out the daily operations successfully and cater to the needs of the customers. Team

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dynamics plays a key role in handling customer requests. The barista should essentially be a
team player.
Flexibility and attention for detail
The barista is required to be extremely flexible with the different work schedules and
should have an eye for detail. He must be able to fulfill all the needs of the customers. He is
required to be flexible with respect to the work environment and work hours as well. If he is
unable to do so then the job role is not right for him.
Multitasking is an essential attribute
Multi tasking necessarily forms an important attribute of a barista. The given job is not a
desk job where he would be just doing one continuous ob. He is required to deal with a wide
variety of demands, work conditions and other aspects, all of which he must be able to manage
successfully (Kramar 2014).
The given attributes are considered to be very important because if the barista lacks these
skills and attributes, then he will not be able to achieve success in the given work environment
and the organizational goals will not be met.
Documents necessary
The given documents are essential for the given position:
Cover letter
The cover letter can be described as an opening letter that is generally attached to a
resume and describes the various reasons from the employee side stating why he is the ideal

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candidate and how he will be able to perform the job alternatives well (Budhwar and Debrah
2013). The cover letter can be a brief document with limited information as to the relevant skills
possessed by the candidate and the requirements.
Resume
A resume is a one page or two page documents which describes the life history details of
the potential candidate. It is a short and accurate document which throws light on the background
of the individual the educational qualifications, the work experience aspect and the skills
possessed. The resume must be supported by relevant documents.
Evaluation of the importance of skills for Starbucks
Very often skills tend to play a key role in determining the successful tenure of the given
employee in any firm. Starbucks is strictly a customer oriented business house. As the employees
are directly in contact with the customers, they are required to possess a certain set of skills that
will enable them to serve the customers adequately. Given below are the reasons how skills are
very important for the success of the firm.
A good communication skill will help in maintaining long term customer relationships.
It is essential for the barista to possess good communication skills. This is important for
Starbucks to have relevant skills so that they are able to nurture long term skills with the
different customers (Seasonscoffee.co.uk. 2018). A good communication skill goes a long way in
helping the customer with the variety of choices available and serving them appropriately.
According to Jackson, Schuler and Jiang (2014), when a customer is served well in an

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organization then they tend to visit the firm more often. This case is more relevant in the
restaurant industry whereby the customers tend to be extremely picky about their choices. If this
is handled well, Starbucks will be able to gain a customer for life. Repetitive purchases are
essentially important for the long term success for the firm as this is a consumer industry and just
one visit by the customer will not be able to satisfy the goals of the organization.
Adequate consumer skills will go a long way in increasing the revenue of the firm.
Customer skills refer to the grievance handling skills of the baristas with respect to the
given set of customers. Apart from this customer skills also involve understanding the needs of
the customer by mere observation, enhancing their experience and serving them right. When an
organization is able to handle its customers well then they can successfully incur in high revenue
rates for the organization (Marchington et al. 2016). For starbucks, if all the needs of the given
customers are well managed by the given set of employees then the customers would engage in
an enriching experience which would help them in making repeated purchases thereby increasing
the sales of the organization.
Multi-tasking will help to manage the firm well
A customer just does not visit Starbucks for a coffee. He visits the firm to gain an
ultimate experience. It is the duty of the barista to possess skills and engage in multi tasking
which would then go a long way in helping the customers to retain and build their experience at
the coffee house. Not only do they have to be served well, the ambience of the shop, their
requirements, cleanliness, health factors and other important aspects need to be considered
carefully in order to ensure that the firm is able to serve the customers well and manage the
organization (Hair Jr and Lukas 2014).

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Importance of HRM
Human resource are considered to be an important part of the organization as they have
key roles to play in various aspects of the firm like strategic planning to maintaining the image of
the firm (Marler and Fisher 2013). Human Resource in the restaurant industry, serve in direct
contact with the customer and thereby they possess the quality to enhance the experience of the
customers and the employees alike along with strengthening the operations of the business.
The human source adds value to a firm like Starbucks in the following manner:
1. Strategic Management
The human resource department helps the firm to attain its long term success thereby
managing the talent factor at an organization and serving the customers well. It lies totally in the
hands of the different employees to handle the customers well and contribute towards the success
of the organization.
2. Wages and Salary
The human resource department at Starbucks is also responsible for providing wages and
salaries to the various employees who would then be able to work adequately (Pató 2013).
Employees tend to form an essential part of the organization and it is extremely important for the
firm to understand that they need to see to it that their employees at Starbucks are being paid
well.
3. Analyzing the Benefits

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The human resource management team at Starbucks by providing an excellent benefit
scheme. The benefit scheme works well in retention the customers of an organization and
enabling them to stay with the company for a long period of time thereby reducing the costs of
training and development. In this manner Starbucks will be able to save on costs and maintain
long term even fits with the employees.
4. Satisfaction of employees
The satisfaction of the employees and the customers are one of the primary objectives of
the human resource department especially in the Restaurant industry, and the Starbucks`s human
resource department should see to it that their primary resources who are the employees are well
satisfied with the firm (Purce 2014).
5. Training and Development
The human resource at Starbucks is relevant because it provides training and
development to the various employees. As this is a skilled based industry, training plays an
essential role in making the employees skilled as per the requirements of the outlets. Hence, if
the human resource department is not able to engage itself in successful planning of the
organization then they will not be able to give rise to adequate employees.
6. Safety Management
The human resource department is also responsible for the safety management of the
employees at Starbucks. They have to lay down the essential policies which are very necessary to
run the organization and they must essentially see to it that the life of the employees is in safe
hands.

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7. Compliance management
There are a wide variety of compliances present in the organization like Starbucks. These
compliances refer to rules and regulations stated by the law. It is extremely important for the
firm to see to it that all the compliances are maintained well and they are required to abide by
them.
Hence, human resource plays a major role in maintaining the employee relations with the coffee
giant Starbucks. Successful employee relations will thereby give rise to successful customer
relations.
Conclusion
Therefore, from the given analysis, the importance of human resource department in an
organization can be identified. Job roles essentially outline the primary requirement for a
particular role and they need to be strictly followed in order to ensure that the customers are
served well and the employees are able to carry out their jobs successful. The report outlined the
job description of a barista and states down the various skills and attributes that he needs to
possess for long term benefit of Starbucks. It also stated the contribution of the presence of these
skills n the long term welfare of the coffee giant. Hence, human resource aspect is one of the
primary aspects of the organization which should not be misunderstood.

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