The new chief executive of Starbucks plans to don the green apron and work alongside employees in the company's cafes once a month. In a letter to employees Thursday, Laxman Narasimhan, who officially took the helm at the coffee giant this week, said his "immersive experience" training at dozens of Starbucks stores, manufacturing plants and support centers in the past six months had helped shape his understanding of the employee and customer experience as he prepared to succeed Howard Schultz as CEO. Narasimhan said he plans to continue working in the company's cafes for monthly half-day shifts as he embarks on a mission to "refound" Starbucks.

It is unusual for CEOs of large corporations to work side-by-side with rank-and-file employees on a regular basis. A 2018 study from professors at Harvard Business School found that CEOs spend, on average, 6 percent of their time with front-line employees, compared with 72 percent in meetings.

Narasimhan will be doing his front-line shifts as Starbucks faces unrest in its workforce, with employees unionizing at 288 of the company's 9,000 corporate-owned stores. On Wednesday, employees at 100 Starbucks cafes staged a work stoppage, and scores of union baristas gathered in Seattle to present demands that include a nationwide starting wage of $20 an hour.

– Washington Post