KAREN PURPURA

Human Resources Leadership & Business Support

• Partner with Regional HR Business Partners and operational leadership to support strategic and tactical HR initiatives across 6 cities, 20 venues, and approximately 1,000 employees.
• Provide direct leadership, coaching, and performance support to the HR Specialist role.
• Travel extensively to regional locations to investigate and resolve employee relations matters while ensuring consistent application of company policies and compliance with employment laws.
• Support senior leadership with compensation analysis, workforce planning, performance reporting, and operational recommendations to drive business objectives.
• Developed and implemented employee engagement survey initiatives to strengthen employee satisfaction and organizational culture.
• Assist with annual reviews of employment laws and regulatory updates to ensure policy, procedure, and compliance alignment.

Employee Lifecycle Management

• Coordinate full-cycle onboarding processes, including offer letters, background checks, onboarding documentation, and training initiatives to improve operational consistency and employee engagement.
• Partner with leadership teams to address performance management, corrective actions, coaching strategies, and disciplinary procedures.
• Foster positive employee relations by effectively communicating with employees and management, resolving workplace concerns, and supporting investigations and documentation management.
• Lead and support compliance and operational training initiatives that enhance employee knowledge, productivity, and policy adherence across assigned regions.
• Support workers’ compensation administration, reporting, and case coordination with internal stakeholders and insurance providers.
• Manage employee offboarding processes, including exit procedures and company equipment return coordination.

HR Operations & Administration

• Develop, revise, and implement employee handbooks, HR policies, procedures, and compliance-related training programs.
• Lead HRIS administration initiatives and support successful system transitions and implementations, including migrations from Taleo to iCIMS and subsequently to UKG (UltiPro).
• Partner with cross-functional teams, vendors, and leadership on system configuration, testing, troubleshooting, workflow optimization, data integrity, and user adoption throughout implementation phases.
• Conduct HR data audits, reporting, and compliance monitoring to ensure accuracy and consistency within HR systems and employee records.

Additional Business & Operational Experience

• Previously held leadership roles within restaurant operations, including Assistant General Manager responsibilities in a high-volume hospitality environment.
• Maintain monthly and quarterly general ledger reporting in partnership with the accounting team.
• Support payroll processing, auditing, and reporting functions to ensure timely and accurate payroll administration.