HR Professional

CLAUDIA GARFIAS

**** ***** ***** *****

Hoffman Estates, IL 60192

***************@*****.***

847-***-**** cell

CAREER GOAL

To obtain a full time position in the human resource field as the director or manager with the full appliance of expanded experience and education. I am a bilingual Human Resources professional with extensive experience setting up, managing and providing Human Resources services in Health Care, Warehousing, Transportation and Hospitality industries. I have all the set of skills as well as excellent professional affiliations to do this job effectively. I will handle any priority in Human Resources while ensuring compliance with Federal, State rules and employment laws.

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

The Garlands of Barrington Barrington, IL 2/2008 - 8/2011

Director of the Human Resource for a 200 team member privately owned luxury CCRC (Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory enhancement and Skilled Nursing) senior living community with the following responsibilities.

• Recruitment and Retention: Recruitment of both the management and staff needs. Manage advertisements, networking, referral sources, and job boards. Assist management with procedures, screening of candidates, coordinating interviews and on-boarding process. Conduct new hire orientation program, facilitate on-going staff education and training, management development, implementation and enforcement of policies and procedures, and performance management, while maintaining focus on reducing turnover and cost. Ensure legal hiring compliance. Maintain employee files in accordance to IDPH and laws.

• Payroll Management: Process bi-weekly payroll for community. Enter and maintain employee profiles in payroll systems. Produce bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly payroll reports (FTE’s, overtime, job transfers, and others for audit and budget purposes). Conduct wage surveys within labor market to maintain competitive with in industry.

• Benefits administration: Recommend and implement health and well benefit programs to enhance employee morale, maintain competitive with in field, and manage cost. Negotiate health and wellness benefits plans with providers and broker. Conduct newly eligible and annual enrollment benefit meetings. Process health and wellness enrollments and changes. Process premium payments, utilization, departmental charges, census and audit report. Process 5500 audit documentation.

• Workers Compensation: Create and implement safety awareness programs to promote occupational safety and reduce injury. Conduct employee injury investigation and reporting. Manage and make recommendations to ownership on insurance carriers, occupational clinic and workers comp claim loss prevention committee chair-person for community.

• Employee Relations: Investigate concerns, such as working conditions, disciplinary action, team member grievances and provide guidance & recommendations for problem resolution. Development and implementation of new policies. Ensure policy acquiescence with various factors like applicable policies, rules and regulations worked out of discussions with the company chairman, supervisors and managerial staffs. Conduct exit interviews and employee terminations for all staff.

• Budget preparation and administration: Manage and produce variance reports for HR department financial budget and expenses. Seek and implement cost saving opportunities.

• Plan and organize staff team building events; picnics, weight loss program, themed lunch lunches, monthly team member luncheon, health fairs and more.

Claudia Garfias Page 2

Sunrise Senior Living (previously Marriott) Arlington Heights, IL 1/2003 - 2/2008

Human Resources Manager for a CCRC community that employed 300 team members. Responsibilities were same as the ones in most current position, with the exception that Sunrise is a corporation.

Marriott Distribution Services (division closed) Hanover Park, IL 1/1993 - 1/2003

Human Resources Manager for a food service warehouse and distribution center that employed 250 hourly and management staff members. Successfully opened and set up Human Resource Department for new food service distribution facilities in Illinois, Texas, Florida and Ohio. Responsibilities included:

• Administration of benefits programs

• Recruitment of warehouse, transportation, administrative and management team. Identified permanent and temporary personnel need. Targeted diverse community organizations, saving money on recruitment costs, reducing turnover and achieving EEO /Affirmative Action goals.

• Developed handbook, created and implemented policies and procedures

• Set up uniform program, drug testing program, pre-employment physical, and new hire training for both Spanish and English speaking staff.

• Process weekly payroll, calculated and audited time cards, tracked attendance, reviewed incentive and bonus pay programs for accuracy

• Managed employee files for salaried, hourly and drivers in accordance with corporate policy, Department of Transportation (DOT) guidelines and the law. Collected maintained & updated I-9 documentation and passed corporate audits and Immigration and Naturalization services (INS) audits with 100% compliance and no violations or penalties.

• Facilitated training on union avoidance, drug and alcohol testing, corporate policies & procedures, empowerment, quality, ADA, FMLA guidelines, new hire orientation, benefit eligibility & enrollment, improving team work efficiency.

• Significantly contributed to positive employee morale by planning & organizing employee activities including annual picnic, holiday parties, ESL classes, Employee of the Month, soccer team, fundraisers, United Way, & blood drives.

• Conduct annual associate opinion surveys. Maintain the highest rating every year in the Midwest region.

• Successful audits from OSHA and corporate loss prevention. No fines or charges to the company.

• Manage loss prevention programs. Conduct safety training, maintained reporting logs for DOT accidents, workers compensation and general liability claims within state and federal guideline. Reduced accident frequency, saving money on occupational health services and maintain positive productivity.

• Coordinated unemployment compensation documentation, company representative for hearings, reviewed resignations and employment terminations and, conducted exit interviews, resulting in 99% favorable decisions for Marriott.

• Successful Administration of TJTC/WOTC government programs, contributing $146,000 tax free dollars to the facility in one year.

Marriott Schaumburg Hotel Schaumburg, IL 7/1985 - 1/1993

• Human Resource Specialist 1989-1993 promotion

• Reservations Sales Agent 1988-1989 promotion

• PBX, Front Office Clerk 1987-1988 promotion

• Housekeeping / Health Club 1985-1987 promotion

Claudia Garfias Page 3

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

• Sunrise University Certification completed in 2004

• Marriott Management Training Program completed in 1992

• Elgin Community College Business Administration courses 1989-1990

• Elgin High School, Elgin IL Graduate of 1988

SKILLS

• Training Skills: Attended and facilitated over 40 training course for any size groups and levels: Train the Trainer, Interviewing, Coaching and Counseling, Team Building, Empowerment, Progressive Discipline, Harassment Prevention, Managing Diversity, Aging in Place, Alzheimer’s and Dementia, Activities, Programming, Sensitivity, Union Avoidance and more.

• Language Skills: Fluent in Spanish

• Computer Skills: Proficient in Microsoft office, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Access

• HR/ Payroll systems: Kronos, ADP, EZ PAY, Pay expert, PeopleSoft, and other HRIS database programs

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• Society of Human Resources Management member since 2004

• St. Monica Carpentersville, IL Club Guadalupano Committee leader 1990-2003

• Developed and organized the “Reina de Primavera”, a community fund raising program and event that resulted in over $30,000 in donations for student scholarship programs. I also planned, organized and supervised the parish summer picnic, dance events, food fest and gatherings for community, that led to an increase of parish attendance

• Northwest Human Resources Council member since 1993

• Illinois Employer Council member since 1993

AWARDS

• Marriott Loss Prevention Committee Chair person award in 2002

• Marriott International Award of Excellence nominee in 1995

• Associate of the Month 2 times for Marriott International (February 1990 & July 1993)

REFERENCES

• available upon request

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