Forced Joy? Starbucks Baristas Must Now Write Messages on Coffee Cups

In an effort to rekindle customer engagement, Starbucks has introduced a new policy requiring baristas to handwrite messages on coffee cups. CEO Brian Niccol believes that these personal notes—ranging from affirmations like “You’re amazing” to simple smiley faces—will create “moments of connection” and drive more foot traffic to stores. But is this initiative fostering real connections, or is it just another case of forced enthusiasm in the workplace?

The Business of Manufactured Feelings

The directive, sent out in a company-wide memo in January, instructs baristas to personalize each cup with a thoughtful note. Niccol sees this as an opportunity to build a more intimate customer experience, but for employees, the message is clear: it’s not just about making coffee anymore—it’s about manufacturing emotions.

This approach isn’t unique to Starbucks. Across industries, companies are pushing employees to exude positivity, sometimes artificially. From Alphabet encouraging employees to make office time “fun” to Tiffany’s requiring staffers to engage with an internal app called ‘Tiffany Joy,’ the corporate world is increasingly prioritizing performative engagement. Employees, however, aren’t necessarily on board. Many feel that this forced cheerfulness is more about optics than genuine connection.

The Great Detachment and the Growing Disconnect

The timing of Starbucks’ new policy coincides with what Gallup has termed ‘The Great Detachment’—a steady decline in employee engagement. According to a recent Gallup poll, only 39% of workers feel valued at their jobs, a significant drop from 47% in 2020. As labor market dynamics shift, companies are becoming less accommodating and more demanding, expecting employees to project enthusiasm whether they feel it or not.

Sociologist Arlie Hochschild coined the term ‘emotional labor’ to describe this phenomenon in her 1983 book The Managed Heart. She argued that service workers are often required to display emotions they don’t genuinely feel—a reality that has only intensified in today’s corporate landscape. With automation taking over technical tasks, companies now rely on human workers to provide emotional engagement as an irreplaceable skill.

The Irony of Enforced Joy

Ironically, while Starbucks is mandating personal engagement from its frontline employees, it’s simultaneously downsizing corporate roles and outsourcing tech jobs. The same week the cup-writing initiative was launched, the company cut over 1,000 corporate positions. This juxtaposition highlights the growing divide between what businesses say about fostering connections and how they actually operate.

Customers, too, are questioning the sincerity of the move. A Starbucks customer on Reddit lamented, “These messages have less meaning now that they’re required. It felt special before, and now it doesn’t.” Many baristas have taken to TikTok to poke fun at the initiative, sharing humorous videos about the absurdity of being forced to write heartfelt messages on every cup.

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