Honestly even if you took the pay because you're lazy (which you didn't), you're entitled to that pay. It's not about you so much as it is about everyone including you, and that catastrophe pay is desperately needed. Starbucks shouldn't have ANY stores open, and those low-income folks' wages need to be subsidised. But I guess we don't live in a perfect world.

Look, to be completely blunt, your coworkers are going to be forced to take this seriously when people they know start getting sick. It's likely going to happen very soon. You can't be blamed for self-preservation and for trying to preserve the health of those around you. If anybody gets in your shit about it, just keep in mind you're doing the best thing that's in your power to do.

Starbucks isn't your family, and you have a real family (even it it only includes you) to care of.

We all made a choice to work or not work, and that decision shouldn’t affect how we are treated. The vast majority of my partners took the leave, and I would never call them out on caring about their health over work. I have two partners coming back on Monday, and I am so excited to see them, as I will be with all my other partners as they return. If you have any issue, just know it is not you, but them, who is creating the problem.

I have worried about this too...but, I’m over it. Our store cut our store hours, I’m a shift and close every night working 40 hours most weeks. Due to my availability my hours would have been cut in half. Not to mention, my mother just survived cancer and I was uncomfortable working. All that aside...our company made a generous offer to all partners. They had a decision to make as did we. I’m sure once things get back to normal, we’ll be back to 3 plays during happy hour, and all the fun we’re used to. Try not to worry about that...use this time to take care of yourself and your family!

I feel this too. I’m an older barista (60), single grandma raising my grandson. I was working 20-25 hours mainly for benefits as well as social interaction. Not a strong barista but I’d like to think I rocked CS and POS! In the beginning, I noticed my scheduled hours getting shorter. When I asked, I was told it was because of my “limited availability” and that I could pick up shifts. Two weeks later, I opted for catastrophe pay. I have to take care of myself. I’m worried that once this is over, I won’t be able to get the hours I need, if I’m scheduled at all. I felt so lucky when I got this job-I’ve always wanted to work at a coffee shop-but I’m concerned what’s next. Early retirement? No health insurance? Holding on to hope that Starbucks really does consider us partners and won’t leave us when this is over.

I was worried about the same things when I first took leave but this situation is so much bigger than hurt feelings. You are doing the right thing, more coworkers will end up taking leave, and people will be forced to take it seriously if they haven't already. The thing you also have to remind yourself of is that everyone has a different level of knowledge and capability of processing the situation at hand. Some people are unable to take it seriously at this moment because they have never had to choose between their health and ability to work. I took leave, and then slowly had coworkers reach out to me asking if they should take leave also.

Setting aside all the seriousness, and getting to the root of the many. Who the fuck cares if you are lazy? BE LAZY. Anxiety, stress exhaust your body. Take this time to eat well, exercise, sleep in if you can and dive into a hobby. Watch movies and call friends. Or just get baked out of your mind and eat a lot of snacks and don't move from the couch for two days.

This is the best time you have to use your safety net of cat pay and take time to be nice to yourself.

I actually talked to some of my coworkers about this and what they told me is: NO ONE is mad at you.
Not sure how your store has been lately but mine is...very overstaffed at this point. They didn’t need the extra people who used the Cat Pay and there’s no hard feelings.
The anxiety is still lingering but at this point we haven’t even gotten into the worst part of COVID-19. Keeping stores like Starbucks (which in my opinion is non-essential) is only going to help spread this disease. It takes ONE barista getting sick for the entire store to get it. It takes ONE customer who’s asymptomatic or someone who thinks a medicine ball will cure them to get every single one of your coworkers sick.
I think stores closing due to a sick barista is inevitable and when it does happen I’m sure you’ll be thankful you took the CP.

I’m doing the same, I’m worried about my health. I have a very supportive manager, but I’m worried about getting shit from my coworkers. And I’m worried about seeming less reliable. I started staying home on sick pay two days before cat pay went into effect, and I already took loads of shit for that, even though we were over-staffed and my manager encouraged me to do so.

I have a feeling I’ll have plenty of other things to worry about once I go back to work, so I’m trying to not think about it :/

as a partner that is still working... WE STILL LOVE YOU! we miss you but we understand your choice and support it!!

Starbucks is honestly preying on this mindset that being cautious is being lazy. It is NOT at all!! This is what the rest of the country is and should be doing. Listen to your instincts. And the CDC, might I add.

I feel you. I took the 30 days for the exact reasons and I keep having to remind myself that my safety and health comes first and so should yours!

My manager even took the pay and our DM basically said she would take it if she was in our place.

My whole store took it thankfully. But I understand where you’re coming from. I couldn’t focus, I’m a 4 year partner and I really had to think about the most simple task. If this is the reception you get when you get back I would look at a transfer. I’m so sorry you’re feeling this way. Be safe and stay healthy so you can return to normal life.

As for the SM stealing time this needs to be reported, they really will do something about it, I’ve seen it happen to a SM.

You, your health, your family and friends over everything else.

I’m sure the partners at your store and others displaced from cafe stores are more than enough to fill your shifts. Your team shouldn’t have any negative feelings toward you taking the pay, they can take if they want but they’re okay. You’re not mentally and that’s okay. That’s exactly what the cat pay is for. Use it and get well, come back if and when you’re ready.

It sounds like you have some real concerns about your SM. If you truly believe the family mentality is fake and they’re stealing time, you should consider contacting ethics and compliance or your DM. They should be there to support you.

I hope you can give your fellow baristas and SSVs the benefit of the doubt that they will support you and welcome you back with open arms. Don’t future trip, try to assume the best in others and you might be pleasantly surprised and able to push that part of your worries away, you have enough you’re worried about already. If you have any coworkers that are friends I’d recommend you pick up the phone and give them a call. See how they’re doing. It could help.

I took like six days off BEFORE we even got offered cat pay. Better to overreact than under react and that paid time off is EARNED. You *deserve* it.

Honestly, I’m expecting the other shoe to drop when I finally do return.

Girl I'm super worried about it, too. But I'm just trying to remember that at the end of the day, I don't really know my fellow partners and their opinions shouldn't matter to me. As bitchy as that sounds, I have found that getting close to people in retail in always a mistake 🤷🏼‍♀️

I feel for you OP.

This is obviously the saddest possible thing but it is very likely that a lot of people are going to die. Your friends are going to take it seriously in the next few months depending where you are and when the peak of deaths hit.

Anyone who would mistreat you because you took catastrophe pay for your own safety doesn't have any opinions you should be concerned with. My manager has been very supportive of me taking the catastrophe pay and yours should have been too.

They were going to cut your hours and they will very likely continue to cut your hours. The fake family mentality helps the company keep you working. You are not a family. If this was your dad's business he'd pay you a living wage. Your manager is salaried, never forget how much you make.

Take the goddamn catastrophe pay. Feel good about taking it. Spend the time bettering yourself however you decide and get paid to do it. Please don't be offended because I am in the exact same boat but: it's not very much money. Don't let anxiety over it get the best of you because it's not an incredible sum of money to feel guilty about taking, it's something to appreciate because it's gonna keep you safe right now.

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I feel the other side of the coin. I can’t in good faith abandon my team and my manager. I physically don’t have it in me to sit at home knowing my team is grinding through this. I feel disappointment for those who immediately took the pay and left without so much as a thought. I do feel disrespected by partners who are getting paid to be off and who choose to come through their own store for their free stuff daily. (If you’re scared enough to not work you shouldn’t be coming to work to make additional contact in my opinion)
I feel the company put us in this situation and I feel guilty for resenting my peers. The plus side for those of us who are here is our tips are astronomical, customers are so thankful for us and it feels good to be loved so much when you don’t hear it every day from them. It’s also a really good team because the catastrophe pay announcement weeded out our problem baristas immediately. We have zero drama and no negativity. It’s a nice change of pace. I don’t want anyone to feel that we will be disappointed in them when they come back but it’s a very tough situation to be put in. When we worked short-staffed for weeks on end while everyone else was at home, it definitely feels shitty.