Starbucks Cyberattack: Baristas Face Payroll Chaos
A ransomware attack targeting a Starbucks software vendor has thrown the paychecks of numerous Starbucks employees into disarray, leaving workers frustrated and financially uncertain. The cyberattack, reported by CNBC, has significantly impacted the coffee chain’s payroll system, causing delays and potential inaccuracies in employee compensation.
Impact on Starbucks Employees
The primary issue stems from the disruption of the vendor’s system used for managing employee schedules and calculating pay. As a result, baristas are facing difficulties accessing their schedules and are unsure about the accuracy of their upcoming pay. Managers are now forced to manually calculate payroll, a time-consuming and error-prone process.
This manual process, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, is leading to potential overpayment or underpayment, depending on the accuracy of the manual calculations compared to actual hours worked. Starbucks has pledged to fully compensate employees once the issue is resolved, but this assurance hasn’t eased the anxieties of many affected workers.
Workers React on Reddit
The situation has sparked considerable discussion among Starbucks employees on Reddit.
One Redditor expressed the concern: “So are we getting paid this week? And how, when half my hours are in the time clock and half are in the book?” This sentiment reflects the widespread uncertainty and confusion among workers. Another employee voiced their frustration and financial concerns: “This impacts my financial stability and progress on my financial goals. To me this just isn’t acceptable. I worked, I want my full paycheck…I just do not accept getting paid for fewer hours than what I worked. This isn’t my fault at all.”
The response from fellow Reddit users highlights the scale of the problem and the lack of clear answers.
One user shared an alleged internal message from Starbucks to store managers, stating: “If we don’t have access to SPH on Monday, Starbucks will process payroll for all stores and there will be no additional steps for SMs to process payroll on Monday 11/25. This will give our SMs some flexibility to continue supporting partners and building schedules.”
However, the feasibility of manually processing payroll for such a large workforce has been questioned, with one Redditor pointing out that it’s “physically not possible” to modify time cards manually for so many employees.
Starbucks’ Response and the Broader Implications
While Starbucks assures customers that the cyberattack hasn’t affected their service, the situation underscores the vulnerability of relying heavily on third-party vendors for critical business operations like payroll. The incident highlights the potential for significant disruption and financial hardship for employees when these systems fail, even temporarily. The resolution of the situation and the eventual accuracy of employee compensation remain critical concerns for affected Starbucks workers. The long-term implications for employee morale and trust in the company also remain to be seen.
