Pros
I can say that the greatest asset of this company is that they really do value their employees. Its one of our culture to make the workplace fun and have the sense of belongingness to customers and to partners (term we use to describe our barista and managemnt etc). The salary is good,VL & SL inc leave conversion, quarterly bonuses, HMO after regularization (3mos), 2 days off a week (flexible), coffees and pastry per shift, and discounts incl stores/brands affliated to Rustans and most of all the promising career advancement. Before I gave up being a barista,my SM & DM offered me to a supervisory position but I turned it down for a couple of reasons. It was a rare opportunity because I was allowed to take the Shift Supervisor exam and go thru panel interview without having been certified as a Coffee Master (which is a prerequisite to become an SS). I was also a Certified Barista Trainer then which was way more important than to have a coffee master certification (might be the reason why I was considered.) One must have prove to oneself that you can do the job with passion and commitment to the company’s standard. Did I say that the Big Bosses are so friendly that they would hug you once they see you? Yes, thats how they treat their employees and one of the reason why it was so hard for me to leave my job. Despite of the everyday rush and constant pressure we’ve gone through, the most important part is that everyone is helping one another and is simply making the demanding workplace a fun place. It’s like you never work a day in your life bec youre with the right and fun people. Also, you get to meet different kinds of people from different kinds of social status. Some of them can be your friends and some of them can be the reason why youre hiding in the backroom. Customer service can be somewhat rewarding or demanding. This company really knows how to handle their people,their business and their customers. Up until now, every single thing I learned while I was working with them was always be with me and the experience was one of a kind.
Cons
1. Inconsistent Standards and practices -If not implemented by the store’s mgmt properly it could create confusion from one partner to another (Esp if one would be tranferred to other store or borrowed for days) 2. My manager *varies w some stores- Mngr lacked support esp on busy/peak times, afraid of responsibility bec shes too focused at the back office (BIG procrastinator thats why works have piled up and were long overdue); destroy your morale; unfairness and shows favoritism; close minded 3. 10 work hours, sometimes w extra charity hr/hrs 4. Some partners pressure you and are inconsiderate of your workload. Coffee Master certification seemed to be pushy rather than voluntary. 5. Some shift leaders dont know how to handle partners, sometimes one can be too worked up at the till/bar/lobby. No rotation of workload.