Chapter 1

Introduction

The baristas are people working in coffeehouses, coffee shops, or coffee bars. They steam

milk, measure ingredients, and grind coffee or espresso beans to make a wide range of espresso-

based drinks and prepare coffee drinks, such as French press coffee, pour over coffee, and drip

coffee (Goodwin, 2019). More than preparing great tasting drinks, they take orders, greet

customers, run a cash register, and help with the inventory of pastries and price items sold in the

store. They are there to ensure that the customers or consumers receive the product at its best

(Perfect Daily Grind, 2019).

What makes the baristas the wonders they are and what it takes to be one? Their job goes

beyond just about making coffee. Being a barista is, certainly, a way of life which involves the

cultivation of invaluable, transferable, life-long skills at its core (Albers, 2015).

To kindle creativity, the baristas dare to innovate, add a twist to the traditional menu, and

introduce a new concept according to season. A cup of coffee can feel like the kick-start to a

creative process, and help gets one into a creative flow (Brones, 2015). According to Oh (2018),

big coffee companies are looking to move beyond their usual and familiar menu offerings.

The flair for creativity is not as easy as it looks. It requires pouring the steamed milk in

such a way that as it rises to the surface, it forms a particular design and can get increasingly

complicated as a barista's skills increase. While it is possible for a barista to acquire their job skills

by attending barista training courses, they are usually taught on the job by longstanding employees

(Goodwin, 2019). More experienced baristas are often tasked with training new employees.

Auplais (2015) labelled this practice as “giving back” where seasoned baristas share their learning

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and help and inspire others to become an even better barista, trainer, and coach. The training can

range from making everyday drinks to creating specialized drinks to learning how to use

complicated machinery.

Testa (2019) stressed that baristas should be trained on how to properly craft coffee

masterpieces and to care for the customers. Besides the skill in preparing a delectable cup of

coffee, keeping up with streams of high-demand and dynamic customers can be one of the greater

challenges the barista face (Thottam, 2019). Amid stiff competition in coffee shop industries,

customers can have a choice among various service providers (Roby, 2011).

Baristas connect people and provide the centerpiece around in which people connect

(Albers, 2015). Other humans are their motivation, their resources, and their friends (Auplais,

2015). The perspectives of the people they come in contact with help them learn and fuel their

passion to do better. On this ground, the interpersonal ability is another crucial skill set for

baristas. According to Tucker (2019), effective interpersonal skills, regardless of industry, can

ensure successful teamwork and create an overall positive work environment characterized respect

and understanding.

It offers an interactive structure that makes the personnel infuse themselves into their jobs;

hence, they can easily motivate partners to satisfy themselves then achieving a new level of

performance (Michelli, 2006). The compliments the baristas receive from their bosses lift their

mood and make them more engaged with the task. Research shows that compliments can enhance

performance, social interaction, positivity in relationships and increase general happiness

(Blatchford, 2017). Consequently, managers must communicate with the workers more

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frequently, regard them with respect and civility, and provide them with input to every facet of

work they are expected to perform (Fasol, 2019).

Conversely, baristas also face conditions associated with work, co-workers, and workplace

that adversely influence their performance and productivity. The “unholy” schedule and heavy

demands of work toss off their spirit (Simon, 2008). It takes early mornings, weekend work and, in

some cases, all the patience in the world to deal with difficult customers (Castle, 2016). Aside

from preparing and serving coffee, they perform other duties like selling and marketing the

products, preparing reports, doing errands, and training new baristas (The Coffee Bean and Tea

Leaf or CBTL, 2009).

Too much hard work and desire for bigger income place the baristas in a situation where

they have to make an unfortunate “tradeoff” between their work and their family. Just like any

other workers, they wish that they had more time and did more activities with their family (Mail

Online News, 2019). Quality time for the family is often abandoned because earning an income to

provide for the family’s needs is more important (McCann, 2013).

To keep on going, they need something in life to drive them to get out their bed and start

their day. Their usual daily purpose maybe is to pour a perfect coffee, create something new, or

spread knowledge of specialty (Auplais, 2015). But above all, they are more motivated to work to

provide for their family. Hechanova, Uy & Presbitero. (2005) underscored that family is one of the

most important elements in the lives of the Filipino worker that intrinsically motivate him or her to

work. The fact that Filipino workers choose to spend on their families before they show how

important the family is for Filipinos (Yao, Franco & Hechanova 2005).

Behind the stress of physical tasks, conflicting priorities, and customer and management

demands, working as a barista can be a rewarding and stimulating experience (Teriele, 2015).

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Baristas can get farther into the mainstream of coffee business and in due course, widen their

experience and improve their performance in all aspects of job (Simply Hired, 2015). Baristas

with outstanding performance can move to a managerial position as a store manager or assistant

store manager, overseeing the food and beverage operations of an Espresso bar or cafe

(Department of Labor and Employment, 2011).

Delving closer into the experience, there is more that underpins a cup of coffee – the

baristas behind the counter who prepare the filter and the coffee dripper, and proceeds to steep a

wonderful cup of coffee. These people truly caught the researcher’s interest - their omnipresence

in the cafe, their seamless ability to multi-task, and their effortless cool under pressure. He

observes them to be so simple and pure but very intimate and without inhibitions. As he started to

interact with them in a wholesome conversation, he learned to appreciate the art of coffee

preparation and all the more, gained a deeper perspective of their work and stories shared.

Such casual encounter with them led to an astute idea of having them as the subjects of this

study. One of the most interesting points of the narrative is the work experience of the baristas for

the readers to see the greater arc of their lives. By providing a clearer description and narrative of

their experiences, the readers get to understand the idiosyncratic realm of the baristas – their

perspectives, dispositions, and work environment. Working towards this direction, the current

study specifically features the baristas as the narrators and main characters of their own stories.

Objective

The paper aims to provide a realistic and detailed narrative of the life and work

experience of the baristas in one high-end coffee company in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.

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Framework

Drawing from Heidegger's concept of "world" (Heidegger in Carel & Meacham, 2019),

the researcher was able to view the everyday world of barista and unreservedly illustrate their

existential being through the stories they shared. Like other humans, they exist as "being-in-the-

world," which means, among other things, that they always find themselves inhabiting a space of

meaning that they create (Crowell 2001).

Along with this concept, constructionism is concerned with the lenses through which

people view or assign meanings to experiences, events, and expectations and humans construct

knowledge and meaning from their experiences. As a philosophy, it recognizes that reality is a

product of human intelligence interacting with experience in the real world (Carson, 2005). As

guiding images, the story and narrative challenge the discovery model of epistemology. They

point to the settings, characters, tropes, and plots through which we make sense of experience,

reminding us that we are implicated in what we know (Bell, 2003).

Baristas perform several job duties and provide customer service. For example, baristas

take orders and make coffee, tea, and other drinks to customer specifications. They may also

operate cash registers and credit card machines. Their additional duties include fielding

customer complaints or questions, cleaning coffee machines, restaurant areas, restrooms, and

preparation areas during a normal shift (Independent Online Job Application Website, 2018).

It doesn’t matter if you are serving the best coffee, using the latest extraction or brewing

style: if your customer service sucks, then so will the coffee, because their mental state directly

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affects the customer’s perception. On the flip side, amazing service will often have the customers

coming back time and time again, even if they aren’t the most progressive, trendy space on the

block (Chicoceteau, 2017).

Taking a look on the other side, the salary of a barista typically falls at a minimum wage,

depending on experience and location. Eligible and qualified baristas may enjoy job benefits

such as health, medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans, retirement programs, and paid

vacation time (Independent Online Job Application Website, 2018).

As expressed by Chandra (2018), “Baristas still don’t make a living wage.” From a

confession of former barista, the amount they are paid per hour depends on the location of the

store. Adding to their stress, they have to meet a quota to sell-in store items, and it is always a

push to sell things. The low pay that cannot make up for bad management, unhappy workers,

and demanding and inconsiderate customers consequently lead to a high turnover rate among the

baristas (Gates, 2014).

The holiday rush is probably one of the most frustrating and embarrassing times at the

bar. Long lines, irritated and stressed customers mean rushed drinks and crowded stores and

dealing with impatient costumers is one of the many challenging aspects of the job (The Outlook,

2016). Situations worsen when other employees would come in late and yet; repercussions are

not made by the management to discipline delinquency (Gates, 2014). The causes of conflict

range from personality clashes and organizational mismanagement. The erratic and poor

management contributes unnecessarily to the stress of the job for baristas (Bernson, 2013). If

unresolved, such can create emotional stress for employees, politicize the workplace and divert

attention from the organization's mission (Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development

(2015).

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 This is a profession that has a much lower prestige than that of others in the industry, and

there are not many mentors or peers that you can find. Most people that learn how to become a

barista with no experience do not expect the various challenges that are going to be put in front

of them (The Peach Kitchen, 2018). For baristas working in high volume and quality-focused

environments, there is an additional risk: the endless cups of coffee consumed in the name of

“dialling in”, and the self-sampling quality control necessary in the pursuit of high-quality coffee

service. Over years and years of repetition, these workplace requirements cannot help but affect

the physical and mental well-being of those required to perform them, often in negative ways

(Bernson, 2013).

According to Pocock, (2001) and Hobson, Delunas, and Kesic (2001), there is a tension

between the demands of employers for workers to stay at their paid jobs longer and the needs of

women and men in paid employment – and their children - to establish and maintain quality

relationships, households, and communities. The baristas do not only spend long hours of work

but also have an unholy schedule for duty, which results in role conflict, work overload and

exacerbates awareness of inequities in the division of housework.

As detailed by Newton and Guerra (2017), baristas must demonstrate sociability and

personableness, flexibility, meticulousness, rule-following attitude, team orientation, emotional

intelligence, patience, empathy, tactfulness, and passion for them to be able to effectively carry

out their job and face the challenges associated with their personal and professional life.

Motivation refers to the reasons underlying behavior (Guay, 2010). Gedler, Broussard,

and Garrison (2004) broadly define motivation as the attribute that moves someone to do or not

to do something. Intrinsic motivation is animated by personal enjoyment, interest, or pleasure,

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while extrinsic motivation is governed by reinforcements and contingencies (Lai, 2011). The

motivation levels in the workplace have a direct impact on employee productivity (Scott, 2018).

Taking a wider view, the foreground of Herzberg’s dual-factor theory renders a

considerable, as well as a practical basis in explaining work performance and productivity. The

theory presents more comprehensive sets of basic individual internal and external factors that

relate to the motivation and exertion of the individuals to perform jobs. It views performance

through the lens of motivation factors consist of achievement, recognition, work itself,

responsibility, advancement, and the possibility of growth; and hygiene factors that include

company policy, supervision, work conditions, relationship with peers, salary, personal life,

relationship with subordinates, status, and job security (Ruthankoon & Ogunlana, 2003).

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Figure 1. Schematic Diagram

The schematic diagram depicts the central themes that emerged from the series of

interviews with the baristas. The first theme portrays how they landed a job of being baristas and

what specific attributes or traits are required for them to be able to fulfill efficiently their

expected tasks. The second theme centers on the illustration of their work experiences that were

shared in the contexts of their duties and responsibilities, usual encounters or dealings with their

bosses, co-workers, and customers, and the challenges they face. The third theme reveals the

plans of the baristas that fringe on their prospect to advance and put up their own business in the

future. The responses of the baristas formed a narrative portrait that led to a well-defined and

more profound understanding of life and work experiences.

Significance

The current study offers theoretical and practical relevance to the business stakeholders,

readers, fellow researchers, and the participants of the study. Accordingly, the results may have

significant usefulness to the following:

Managers of coffee companies or coffee shops. The personal narratives may lead the

managers to understand the life and work conditions of the baristas clearly; and subsequently,

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devise measures to create a fair, helpful, and friendly work environment for them. The study

findings may propel significant efforts for them to revisit the existing policies on wages and

compensation and propose additional benefits and incentives that would ensure better work

performance or greater productivity from the baristas.

Baristas. The study findings may rouse the processes of rethinking among the baristas

for them to reconsider their life and work role in a more valuable context of delivering quality

service and not merely working for financial gains.

Industry workers. The results of the study may draw the industry workers deeper into

the coffee world and gain a broader understanding of an experience that is particular to the life

and work experience of a barista and consequently, engage in better work collaboration with

them in the hospitality management industry.

Future Researchers. The current study may serve as a baseline or a launching point for

future studies on a related topic to evolve that take up a wider scope and coverage. Specifically,

the current inquiry can input further critiquing of related theories and principles that can bolster

or widen knowledge in this field.

Scope and Limitation

The study deals with stories of three baristas in a high-end coffee company in Bacolod

City, Negros Occidental. Data were yielded through a series of interviews with the baristas. The

responses from the study participants will be used to form a narrative that is depictive of the life

and work experience of the baristas under study.

A narrative inquiry will be employed since stories were collected to understand the

experiences shared by the baristas. In its fullest sense, narrative inquiry requires going beyond

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the use of narrative as a rhetorical structure, that is, simply telling stories, to an analytic

examination of the underlying insights (Bell, 2002). The narratives that will be shared by the

baristas will allow the researcher to explore the experiences of the baristas and present these

experiences holistically in all its complexity and richness (Bell, 2002). The analysis followed a

recursive, reflexive process of moving from the field (with starting points in telling or living of

stories) to field texts (data) to interim and final research texts (Clandinin & Huber, 2010).

Themes across data sets will be identified and analyzed to provide description or meaning

to the experiences told. Rigors of findings will be ensured using member checks for credibility,

code-recode strategy and stepwise replication for dependability, thick description and purposive

sampling for transferability, and data checking and audit for confirmability.

Three baristas who are directly involved in coffee preparation and serving will be

selected as main sources of information. Besides their primary duty as baristas, the researcher

set that the conversation partners must have rendered at least three years of experience with a

coffee shop, have regular or full-time status and have obtained professional training.

The study shall confine itself to three baristas who will share individual stories; hence,

the results will bear no generalized presentation that can be applied to other settings and across

different groups.

Definition of Terms

To facilitate a better understanding of the specific terms used in the study, the following

terms are defined:

Barista. A barista is a person who prepares and also generally serves espresso-based coffee

drinks. The term barista also applies to coffee shop employees who prepare both espresso and

regular coffee drinks. Although the term barista technically refers to someone who has been

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professionally trained in preparing espresso, it may also be used to describe anyone with a high

level of skill in making espresso shots and espresso drinks, such as lattes and cappuccinos

(Goodwin, 2019).

As used in the study, the term refers to a person who prepares and serves coffee in a coffee

shop, coffee house, or coffee bar.

Coffee shop. A coffee shop is any kind of restaurant that has various of the tea, coffee,

sandwich, cake, or light meals (Liang & Wu, 2014)

Operationally, it refers to an establishment where a barista works. It primarily serves

coffee and other related coffee drinks such as latte, cappuccino, and espresso.

Duties and responsibilities. The term details the essential functions of an employee.

They embody descriptions of a job like the job title, job summary, and descriptor information

like job code and location, and a list of specific tasks (UIC Human Resources, 2009).

In this study, it denotes the particular tasks performed by a barista such as preparing and

serving coffee to customers, cashiering, reporting and making transactions with contractors.

Future plan. The term sets forth an image of the desired future and spells out means to

bring that future into fruition. It is properly conceived not only to accommodate change but in

effect, bring projections, forecasts, and vision together in a resolution for action (Myers &

Kitsuse, 1999).

Operationally, it means the future career wishes or business plans of a barista.

Life Experience. The term denotes a cumulative amount of experience that correlates

with chronological age. It may be the most typical characteristic that laypeople associate with

wisdom (Bluck & Glück, 2005).

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 In this study, life experience refers to events, occurrences, and encounters that are

associated with the life of a barista.

Motivation. Motivation refers to reasons that underlie behavior that is characterized by

willingness and volition. It is animated by personal enjoyment, interest, or pleasure, whereas

extrinsic motivation is governed by reinforcement contingencies. It involves a constellation of

closely related beliefs, perceptions, values, interests, and actions (Lai, 2011).

As used in this study, it refers to reasons or goals that drive a barista to work.

Personal attributes. The term is used to refer to personal qualities or traits of an

employee that can predict his or her work patterns and bring both positive and negative risk to

his or her job (Holtmann, 2015).

Operationally, the term denotes the traits or attitude demonstrated by a barista in the

performance of his/her designated work.

Work Challenges. Conceptually, it means problems and issues that occur in a workplace

that needs to be resolved (Minnesota State Career Wise Education, 2019).

Specific to the current study, challenges mean the difficulties and adverse conditions that

hamper a barista to efficiently carry out his or her basic tasks and duties.

Working condition. Working condition refers to the working environment and all

existing circumstance affecting labor in the workplace, including job hours, physical aspects,

legal rights, and responsibility organizational climate, and workload (Ali, 2018).

refers to the working environment and all existing circumstance affecting labor in the work

place, including job hours, physical aspects, legal rights, and responsibility organizational culture

workload and training.

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 In this study, it refers to a working environment in a coffee-shop or coffee-bar where a

barista works and all existing circumstances affecting his work performance such as space, job

hours, and relationship with co-employees.

Work experience. The term refers to any work-based experience that provides the

participants with the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and understanding and better

prepare them for the world of work (Clarke & Jones, 2002).

Operationally, it refers to a day-to-day encounter of a barista while working in a coffee

company.

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