Starbucks to outsource select HR functionsStarbucks to outsource select HR functions

SEATTLE Starbucks, the 13,500-unit coffeehouse chain based here that has more than 145,000 employees, has agreed to outsource certain human resource functions, including payroll, to a Cincinnati-based human resources firm.

Convergys Corp. announced Thursday that it has entered into a multi-year contract to manage administrative and payroll services for Starbucks in the United States and Canada. The company said it also would oversee benefits services for Canadian employees.

According to published reports, a Starbucks representative declined to discuss details, but said employees in the company’s human resources department would be offered other jobs within in the company.