Vice presidents and above in North America will now be required to work in the company's Seattle or Toronto offices at least three days a week. Director-level employees and below will retain remote status. Future hires must be based in one of the two cities unless designated as remote positions. The layoffs follow a series of changes as Starbucks pushes to reshape its operations. The company recently implemented a new Coffeehouse Code of Conduct requiring customers to make a purchase to use café spaces or restrooms, reversing a 2018 policy that allowed unrestricted access. Additionally, Starbucks introduced unlimited free coffee refills for in-store customers and expanded employee training to improve service and efficiency. Starbucks had about 16,000 employees working outside of cafés in 2024, CNBC reported. to follow Daily Voice Norfolk and receive free news updates.