✅ Starbucks' strategy to keep the "flywheel" turning

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Starbucks is investing $500 million to improve employee experience, focusing on scheduling and staffing, says Executive Vice President and Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly. The initiative, which includes a new assistant store manager role, aims to address employee concerns and reduce turnover. Kelly calls this connection -- supporting retail employees to enhance customer experience and shareholder returns -- the "flywheel."

Some ad agency executives are using professional skills such as multitasking and deadline management to enhance their parenting, and applying lessons from parenting -- such as saying no -- to support their work. They emphasize the importance of accepting imperfection, managing burnout and setting boundaries. “I’m constantly living in fast-paced environments with lots of competing demands," says Jessica Davis, vice-president of planning at Attention Arc. "The biggest crossover is knowing what really matters. At work, I have to assess which client requests are top priority, and at home I’ve learned to let the small things roll off and really focus on what keeps the household running.”

Kanoe's take. My favorite hack in this piece was from Melissa Mahon, who taught her middle-school-age son how to create and use a workback schedule -- the project management method where you start with a deadline and then work backward to plan the steps -- so he could manage communication and assignments among multiple teachers. He found it so helpful that he created one for his robotics team to help them prepare for upcoming competitions. This is real-world work skill!

What hacks did you like? What other hacks do you use to manage work and parenting? Tell me!

Workers in a number of states, cities and counties are expected to see higher minimum wages at the beginning of next year as a result of scheduled increases. Meanwhile, some groups in Washington, D.C., are seeking to add a ballot initiative that would raise the city's minimum wage to $25 an hour and eliminate the tax credit.

HR professionals can harness AI prompting to improve employee development programs, writes Rajeev Kapur, a former CEO and innovation leader. By creating clear, detailed prompts and teaching employees to do the same, HR can empower staff to access relevant information efficiently, practice skills in manageable steps and apply knowledge directly to workplace challenges. Kapur emphasizes that specificity, structure and iterative refinement in prompting lead to greater learning retention and confidence.

A Dayforce poll shows that while 95% of employees plan to take time off during the holidays, only 42% intend to fully disconnect from work. The survey shows that 67% of employees feel pressured by their employers to be available during their time off, and 35% plan to work due to concerns about layoffs. Dayforce Chief People Officer Amy Cappellanti-Wolf says employers can support their workforce by offering flexible work hours, early finishes and extended deadlines to help employees recharge.

Noel Anenberg, a creative-writing professor at Pierce College in Los Angeles, was 74 years old when he decided to start riding a motorcycle, after pain from some health issues limited his participation in other sports and activities. Anenberg, who battles depression, says challenging himself physically helps keep "keeps thoughts of gloom and doom at bay." Now 79, Anenberg says riding has brought renewed excitement and a sense of accomplishment.

"When I released the clutch and took off, my spirit filled with joy, and any anxieties about my age or declining faculties disappeared...Not everyone's cut out for the Hells Angels. I’m certainly not, but everyone has the capacity to overcome fear and keep the 'old man out.' All we have to do is try," Anenberg says.

Kanoe's take. I've done that ride north on Highway 101 through Santa Barbara to where it "winds gently across the rolling hills of the Santa Ynez Valley and the verdant farmland of California’s Central Valley to Salinas," and it's spectacular. It's not just the scenery. It's how the tension of the road -- the look over your shoulder, the pull on the throttle, the lean into the curve -- ignites the senses and quiets the mind. *happy sigh*

Last Friday, I asked what you do to ensure you enjoy the holidays and don't get lost in the blur of shopping, family activities and work events. The letter below from Rona S. in California gave me such encouragement that (with her permission) I wanted to share it with all of you. I pray the message resonates with you too. Here it is:

This year we are far from home as my husband underwent a bone marrow transplant at UCSF on October 17th, released from the hospital November 3rd, but still recovering so we must remain in the BAY AREA until the end of January for multiple weekly visits to the clinic for labs and doctor visits and treatments.

We came with NO expectation of being able to do what we normally do at Christmas and we have a slew of traditions. I always have a cookie baking day with a single mom and her son. We bake WAY too many cookies and then box them all up beautifully and take them to all of our neighbors. THAT is not happening this year…instead those same neighbors are watching over our home, picking up our mail, and letting the pest control folks in for monthly maintenance for us while we are away.

I have always written a new and true Christmas story and mailed out the beautifully produced product to over 1100 clients and friend in the mail. THAT is not happening this year…and we knew it was an impossibility…and had to let the tradition go.

SO…we came to San Francisco having to shed all of our expectations.

My brother and his wife have opened their home to us during our sojourn, and we discovered that they cannot have a live tree or live wreaths due to lichen and mold spore exposure.

We COULD be all down in the dumps, but instead we have focused on what we CAN do.

We are getting to know one another better.

We are having fun cooking together.

We are popping popcorn and watching different tv series that they are introducing us to…

I brought along a bunch of tea towels that a 99 year old woman at our home church embroidered (to have something to do) and I have fabric gift bags that my friends and I made. We are putting cards and a tea towel and chocolates in the bags and handing them out to the nurses and doctors and the people who do check in at the clinic. I wondered if they would be too “rustic” for the San Fran crowd, but they are bowled over with gratitude.

We are expressing gratitude for every day and every contact and every opportunity to take a walk or enjoy a good meal or see Christmas lights going up.

We are remembering the reason for this season of light and thanking God each and every day for the gift of a donor, for the new hope that has been given to my husband…and we are going to have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS…although it looks different this year…because the reason for the celebration is timeless and we will not miss any chance to celebrate.

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Do you enjoy this brief? Share it with others. Want different stories? Something about it bug you? Tell me. In the words of Frasier Crane, “I’m listening.”