Starbucks lays off 100 office workers

Starbucks handed out about 100 pink slips to human resources and security workers today, including about 40 at its Seattle headquarters.

They are the first layoff notices since the coffee company announced plans last week to close 300 stores and eliminate 6,700 positions, including 350 at headquarters. The rest of the Seattle layoffs are expected in the next couple weeks.

Spokeswoman Anna Kim-Williams said in a statement, "Some of these partners are being offered opportunity for redeployment and others will be separated from the company."

She wrote Starbucks is offering separation pay, benefits and outplacement assistance to the laid off workers.

Starbucks slashed thousands of positions last year and began closing more than 600 stores to improve its profits and battered stock price.

Here is the memo Starbucks workers received today from the company's head of human resources:

A Message from Chet Kuchinad: Workforce Reduction in Partner Resources and Partner & Asset Protection

Dear Partners,

As we communicated on January 28, Starbucks is reshaping our operating model and organization structure to ensure the long-term health of our business. This includes the difficult but necessary decision to reduce our global workforce.

As part of our commitment to transparency throughout this process, we wanted to inform you that approximately 100 non-store partners (including Partner Resources and Partner & Asset Protection) are being notified today that their positions have been eliminated. About 40 of those partners are located at the Starbucks Support Center (SSC) in Seattle.

You may be wondering why these groups are being notified this week if we have not yet notified other displaced partners. PRO and P&AP have unique responsibilities supporting internal client groups during a workforce reduction. Due to the organizational changes in these groups, we felt it respectful to inform these partners now, prior to our broader notification day in mid-February. For partners in a few international markets, this may be somewhat later in order to comply with local employment laws.

We are thankful and proud of the contributions our partners make to the organization, and we are committed to treating all partners with respect and dignity — those who are departing Starbucks and those who will stay.

We recognize this period of uncertainty is unsettling for all partners. We commit to communicating openly with partners as soon as we are able.

Regards,

Chet Kuchinad,

evp, Partner Resource

Melissa Allison: 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com