Introduction:The recent mass layoffs of part-time staff at Manner Coffee have sparked widespread discussion. Some employees reported being dismissed without any apparent violation, while the surge in holiday part-time demand has led to tight scheduling. This article delves into the chain reaction behind the incident, examining recruitment strategies, job matching, and management conflicts to reveal the real operational logic for readers concerned about the employment situation in the coffee industry, and provides a practical observational perspective.
Recently, the well-known coffee chain brand Manner has become a hot topic due to the mass dismissal of part-time workers. Multiple netizens have shared their experiences, stating that they diligently completed basic tasks such as packing and cleaning during their shifts, committed no violations, yet suddenly received dismissal notices on the day they started or within a few days. The reasons given by the brand were vague and general, often citing "possible feedback from the store or surveillance audit results."
Similar cases are not isolated. Some part-timers continued to be let go even after serving three or four different stores, while others were dismissed right after their first day of work. When asked for specific reasons, staff members consistently failed to provide clear explanations, leading to much confusion over this lack of transparency.
The background of the incident can be traced back to a series of previous employee-customer conflicts. In an effort to alleviate manpower shortages, the brand significantly expanded part-time positions and increased store scheduling on recruitment platforms, aiming to share the workload of full-time employees. However, with the arrival of the holiday season, a large influx of students into the part-time job market has gradually made what were once relatively ample shifts more scarce.
According to long-term part-timers, the difficulty of securing shifts has noticeably increased. The official mini-program frequently crashes or lags, and even a slight delay in response can result in missed opportunities, leaving many facing the dilemma of "having no shifts available." This has led to speculation: could it be that overly aggressive early recruitment has led to an imbalance between supply and demand for shifts, prompting the brand to resort to direct dismissals to control labor costs?
However, some full-time employees pointed out that certain dismissed individuals did indeed struggle with adaptability issues. Although the Manner part-time roles do not involve beverage preparation, the counter area requires handling tasks such as restocking supplies and maintaining equipment. Workers without prior food and beverage service experience often find it difficult to quickly get up to speed. Notably, the recent hiring process seems to have relaxed its screening standards, allowing many inexperienced individuals to join the part-time workforce and compete for shifts.
This situation has made it so that full-time staff start each shift like "opening a blind box"—if paired with a part-time colleague who is skilled and service-minded, the day’s efficiency may improve; otherwise, they have to guide newcomers while carrying out their own duties, unknowingly increasing psychological pressure and workload. Some employees suggest that instead of relying on part-timers with varying abilities to fill gaps, it might be better to increase the number of full-time barista-certified positions to optimize overall operations.
However, such proposals are generally considered difficult to implement. From a brand management perspective, the cost-effectiveness of recruiting part-timers widely through platforms far outweighs the systematic training of full-time employees, aligning more closely with the current strategy of reducing costs and improving efficiency.
This controversy not only reflects the short-term employment adjustments of a single company but also more deeply highlights the structural contradictions faced by the chain coffee industry during rapid expansion: how to maintain service quality while controlling labor costs? How to balance seasonal demand fluctuations with regular staffing levels? The answers to these questions may influence the future development path of the entire industry.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
