Executives are “trying to force customer connection by mandating that workers write messages on cups instead of just doing that willingly,” Baldwin said. “It totally slows down production. And it's really difficult and frustrating to have to stop short with every single drink you're making to write a message.” But baristas face discipline if they don’t write the messages, she said, including criticism for not being “authentic enough.”For workers like Baldwin, that connection was always part of the job — som ...