Laura Chavez Email and Phone Number

Partner with all levels of management to proactively address issues related to workforce development, employee engagement, and productivity. Responsibilities include providing counsel on strategic employee initiatives, maximizing HR programs, and advising on complex employee relations and HR issues. • Provide strategic and operational support for the North America sales team and recently formed CTO office. Primary resource for 300+ employees geographically distributed though United States and Canada.• Administer and oversee global pay-review/compensation process for entire company.• Advise on compensation matrix to ensure top talent is recruited, retained, and rewarded within a pay-for-performance structure.• Manage, advise, and resolve complex employee relations issues including performance management, team building, employee counseling conflict resolution, and career development.• Provide coaching and support to management on leadership development, succession planning, change and people management issues & communication. • Assess employee engagement survey results with leaders and create action plan to address improvement areas and influence change. Engagement is evaluated every six months and a new action plan is created. • Serve as the subject matter expert regarding Canadian employment for entire company.• Key member of recruitment team – help fill 90% of requisitions within 90 days and maintain below-market turnover rates.• Acts as employee champion and change agent, especially during challenging times, such as reorganizations and RIFs.• Expertise in providing smooth transition for company and employees transferring from abroad. Skilled at assisting with business visas, employment visas, and other immigration processes. • Ensure HR legal compliance and due diligence through implementation phases of acquisition.• Improve effectiveness of managers by providing support, guidance, and coaching to improve employee engagement.

Elevated the reputation of HR to create a positive work environment, while maintaining high standards for responsiveness to managers and employees. Primary resource for 300+ employees geographically distributed though United States and Canada.• Continuously looking for innovative approaches to drive a more engaged, productive, positive work environment.• Key member of recruitment team – help fill 90% of requisitions within 90 days and maintain below-market turnover rates. Manage onboarding process and new hire orientation. • Handle employee investigations, be proactive in communicating to managers and employees of potential employee concerns/issues.• Creating a strong internship and college relations program with local engineering schools.• Expertise in providing smooth transition for company and employees transferring from abroad. Skilled at assisting with business visas, employment visas, and other immigration processes. • Acts as employee champion and change agent, especially during challenging times, such as reorganizations and RIFs.• Consult with leadership within the business unit on strategic and tactical HR issues.• Lead the Safety Committee to provide a healthy and safe working environment.• Work with managers and employees to investigate and resolve employee relations issues. • Ensure HR legal compliance and due diligence through implementation phases of acquisition.• Focus on improving office morale and attendance at company events as the chairperson for the Activities Committee. Manage the overall employee corporate activities and create positive employee communication strategies working with the HR management.• Proactively soliciting employee input through focus group meetings, one-on-one discussions, hallway meetings, etc. so that the voice of the employee is heard.• Experience with immigration law as the point of contact for employees with immigration concerns.

Manage all aspects of Human Resources for more than 500 employees throughout Arizona and California including employee relations, management, training, discipline, benefits, development, hiring, and termination. Create policies and standard operating procedures, ensure compliance with Cal-OSHA, and ensure legal and regulatory compliance within contracts, company policies, and state and federal laws.• Respond to employee relation issues including complaints, harassment and discrimination allegations.• Conduct investigations as necessary and provide recommendations to executives; otherwise, guide managers through the investigation process and help them reach a decision.• Respond to unemployment claims for California and Arizona; represent HSS at unemployment hearings.• Initial contact for benefits, including medical, dental, 401K retirement, and supplemental insurance.• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of legal, HR, and labor standards through training and research.• Monitor employee leave schedules, including FMLA and disability.• Act as a liaison between the Western Region and the corporate office.• Established and maintain the Western Region HR office, including HR policies and procedures.• Create and deliver training to managers and supervisors on HR policies and procedures.• Updated the employee handbook.• Conduct exit interviews, analyze data, and make recommendations to the management team for corrective action and continuous improvement.• Developed recruiting process including employment verifications, background checks, and job fairs.• Key employee in the development, testing, and implementation of a new HRIS system.• Maintain electronic and physical employee files, medical files, I-9s, and PHI Agreements in accordance with state and federal laws as well as company policy.

• Project management included testing and audited transition from payroll system to HRIS system. • Processed employee paperwork and maintained electronic personnel files for over 2000 employees.• Assisted with placing employees on various leaves of absences including FMLA, CFRA, and Military.• Reviewed, processed, and coded all workers' compensation claims in ACE/ESIS system• Responded to a high-volume of unemployment claims from over 10 different states.• Created a process to track HIPAA compliance; then tracked and maintained documentation.• Responsible for new hire benefit enrollment, termination of benefits and assisted with management of open enrollment process, to include all vendors systems and COBRA notifications.• Exported files daily to scheduling and time keeping system.