Michael Burgess, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Phone: 847-***-**** • Email: **************@*****.***
Executive Summary
Business professional with over 20 years of broad based human resources, business operations and client service experience within multi-unit, diverse culture environments. Strong skills in employee relations benefit administration, culture assessment, employee engagement, customer care, talent management and leadership. Has experience as a one-man department and has led teams of 5 people in HR and up to 24 people in cross-functional HR, client services and operational roles.
Functional Expertise
Human Resource Management
Operations
Employee Relations
Benefit Administration
Career Development
Business Development
Compensation Planning
Client Services
Talent Management
Work Experience
HR Straight Talk, (HR Consulting Firm), 06/2014 – present
Founder/CEO
Created HR consulting business for small to mid-size companies.
Provide solutions to client company leadership and internal HR departments.
Recent engagements include recruiting, benefit open enrollment, handbook creation, payroll processing, mission statement creation with company-wide participation, and compensation review.
Provide group training on various employment topics including hiring and selection, regulatory updates and employee engagement.
New World Media, (Learning System Development & Marketing), 04/2002 – 06/2014
Director Human Resources & Operations
Led efforts in business operations, human resources, client services, backend marketing, product development, product fulfillment and IT data extraction.
Developed and implemented people management strategies during growth phases.
Continued as Nightingale-Conant Corporation’s Chief Human Resource representative till 2006.
Provide group training on various employment topics including hiring and selection, regulatory updates and employee engagement.
Reached over 1,500,000 new customers by maximizing lead program development.
Managed third party fulfillment of over 500,000 annual shipments, product development, inventory management of over 140 sku’s and internal call center.
Established process improvement procedures in all areas of order and payment processing through product delivery.
Directed Client Services Department internal call center responding to more than 250,000 calls annually.
Managed multi-pay credit card and electronic payment processing for $2 Million in ongoing transactions resulting in higher card clearance and lower bad debt.
Nightingale-Conant Corporation, (Publishing & Marketing), 08/1998 – 06/2006
Director, Human Resources (2006 – 2012)
Served on Executive Committee as two new business units were created and implemented.
Responsible for all aspects of benefits administration, including renewals, plan maintenance and audits. In charge of researching and implementing successful transition to new benefit administrators in 2010, resulting in approximately $220,000 in medical claim savings.
401k plan administrator, which includes employee administration processes, bi-weekly funding, auditing, and employee communication pieces.
Recruited new staff across the company, including job analysis, external communication, interviewing, and onboarding.
System administrator of ADP payroll. Managed the transition to a web-base payroll/HR system, plus implementation of a bio-metric time keeping system.
Created associate handbook and updated for regularity adherence. Continued to create and maintain all company policies and procedures.
In charge of all governmental reporting, including OSHA record keeping and EEO-1 reports
Additional Experience and Achievements
Co-Chair of the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce HR Advisory Group for member education and HR resource consultations.
Created employee recognition program which provided spot employee/management recognition nominations and awards. Sold program to companies such as Connecticut Water Company and Six Flags Theme Park.
Co-Created Christian Fellowship Publishing channel to provide faith based content to consumers.
Participating panelist for public seminar entitled Innovate Strategies for Career Development.
Education & Training
SPHR (Senior Professional Human Resources) January 2015
SHRM-SCP (Society Human Resources Management – Senior Professional Certificate) January 2015
Loyola University – Chicago, IL
Accepted to BS Management Program 2017
Benedictine University – Lisle, IL
Graduate Certificate Program Organizational Development
Triton College – River Grove, IL
Business Administration