Howard Schultz – Courtesy Bing Images

In response to the recent health care legislation, many companies have chosen to either cut back or cancel health coverage for spouses, retirees and part time employees. According to an article by Maria Bartiromo which appeared in a recent issue of USA Today, Starbucks is not one of them. Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz, says he refuses to cut back because doing so would send the wrong message to employees. He goes on to say, “I think we have a greater responsibility beyond just the (profit and loss) of our business, to do the right thing not only for our employees, but the communities we serve, to try and make a difference beyond just making money…after 30 years of being in this seat, what I’ve learned is that we can make a profit and perhaps do even greater by also demonstrating to multiple constituencies that we mean well in the world.” It’s so refreshing to read about a CEO of a large company who understands that if you take care of your employees, they will take care of you.