Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Websites
Accomplishments
Work Availability
Timeline
Kristal Steele

Kristal Steele

Kent,WA

Summary

Experienced Human Resources Leader offering 10+ years in achieving positive human resources results in the healthcare sector. Articulate negotiator skillful in supporting competitive company growth through strategic organizational planning and thoughtful team leadership.

Overview

17
17
years of professional experience

Work History

Employee Relations Partner

Premera Blue Cross
05.2022 - Current
  • Provides training to managers and employees on topics such as conflict resolution, diversity and inclusion, and workplace ethics and best practices
  • Conducts effective, thorough, and objective investigations related to harassment, discrimination, or other workplace misconduct to ensure proper procedures are followed
  • Maintains in-depth knowledge of legal requirements related to day-to-day management of employees, reducing legal risks and ensuring regulatory compliance
  • Collaborates with other HR professionals to ensure consistency and alignment of HR policies and practices
  • Develop policies and procedures that promote positive employee relations and compliance with labor laws
  • Helps to manage disciplinary actions, including recommending disciplinary actions, and ensuring that fair processes are followed.
  • Promoted employee welfare by maintaining proper protocols throughout investigations and disciplinary procedures.
  • Facilitated communication and collaboration with employees and management to encourage teamwork and rapport.
  • Managed conflict resolutions to encourage professional and positive relationships in the workplace.
  • Monitored and enforced company policies and procedures to determine compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
  • Developed comprehensive employee relations programs and initiatives to increase organizational engagement.
  • Collaborated with HR team to establish useful implementation of employee relations programs and initiatives.
  • Designed and implemented orientation programs for new employees, covering job responsibilities, policies, procedures and conduct policies.
  • Worked with managers to achieve compliance with organizational policies, providing clarifying information and recommending necessary changes.
  • Discovered and resolved complex employee issues that affected management and business decisions.
  • Maintained current knowledge of industry regulations and legislation to amend policies and promote compliance.

Senior Benefits Administrator

Premera Blue Cross
10.2020 - 05.2022
  • Refine, implement, and manage Premera’s leaves and accommodations programs
  • Stay updated on relevant state and federal regulations regarding leaves and accommodations programs, and implement any new regulations mandated by law
  • Develop strategies to create awareness/understanding of leaves and accommodations programs
  • Offer expertise and guidance as a subject matter expert to Human Resource partners, management, and employees concerning leaves, accommodations, workers' compensation, and unemployment matters
  • Serve as a liaison between employees and carriers/vendors as needed
  • Facilitates reasonable accommodations through coordination with Human Resource partners, consultants, managers, vendors, etc
  • Provides advice and counsel to supervisors on employee issues as they relate to compliance with regulations and laws
  • Conducts interactive processes with employees to determine ADA compliance and reasonable accommodations
  • Oversee external vendor partners and develop suitable strategies to manage claim costs and utilization for both fully insured and self-funded programs
  • Continuously analyze vendor processes and performance to ensure optimal effectiveness
  • Identify key trends and opportunities to improve the effectiveness of programs and promote prompt return to health and work for employees
  • Take charge of leave and accommodation cases, including communication with internal and/or external partners
  • Serve as an advocate for employees throughout the accommodation process
  • Develop and propose program changes to ensure the organization remains aligned with its objectives and competitive in the marketplace
  • Stay up-to-date and comprehend relevant laws and regulations to ensure ongoing compliance
  • Foster a culture built on the all-encompassing values of respect, learning, doing the right thing, fun and celebrating differences
  • Providing senior-level program support and guidance to operational leaders and HR Business Partners
  • Handle management of complex accommodation requests made by employees
  • Manage programs and policies in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADAAA) and other relevant laws
  • Strong technical acumen and ability to learn, lead, and build complex systems and processes quickly.
  • Managed employee benefits program, working with vendors, providers and staff to maintain strong portfolio of insurance and retirement options.
  • Managed continuous enrollment processes, as well as yearly enrollment periods.
  • Proven ability to learn quickly and adapt to new situations.
  • Self-motivated, with a strong sense of personal responsibility.
  • Worked well in a team setting, providing support and guidance.
  • Cultivated interpersonal skills by building positive relationships with others.

Supervisor-HR Shared Services

Virginia Mason Medical Center
05.2018 - 10.2020
  • HR Shared Services
  • Serves as the internal and external resource and subject matter expert on Human Resources
  • Oversee daily operations of the Human Resources service center, taking a hands-on approach to ensure timely completion of tasks and accuracy of key deliverables
  • Recruits, hires, trains and supervises HR Shared Services Tier 1 team
  • Assists in the development and utilization of standard work procedures to ensure concise delivery of information and service
  • Manages and assists with the planning, analysis, design, valuation, implementation, and administration/ processes that impact HR Shared Services
  • Act as a daily expert, offering informal and formal first-tier advice and guidance to staff, students, directors, and administrators regarding VM HR policies and procedures
  • Leading and mentoring HR service center team to ensure superior customer experience and interactive tier 1 level support
  • Oversee the vision, analysis, research, communication, and administration of strategic employee benefit programs, along with the associated processes
  • The goal is to ensure benefit programs aligned with the health systems growth strategy, business objectives, and talent acquisition and retention goals
  • Responsible for ensuring compliance with government regulations pertaining to benefit programs and labor laws
  • This includes regulations such as ERISA, FMLA, ACA, and HIPAA
  • Provide routine HR Policy consultation, guidance and interpretation for employees, and managers
  • Review dashboard metrics daily to optimize productivity and ensure work is completed in accordance with service level agreements (SLAs) established by organizational stake holders
  • Work closely with third party administrator to manage unemployment claims
  • Demonstrate a passion for customer service, attention to detail, possess a process-focused and improvement orientation, the ability to execute projects, motivate, drive engagement, and work under pressure in fast paced and dynamic work environment.
  • Facilitated range of HR administrative processes to support employee lifecycle.
  • Identified inconsistent and incongruent processes, policies and practices to prevent and mitigate HR risks and compliance issues.
  • Updated business processes and process documentation to drive accuracy, relevance and consistency.
  • Inputted, updated and reconciled HR data to keep information current and accurate.
  • Led efforts to document, simplify and standardize HR business processes.
  • Built and developed HR knowledge base to help employees answer questions via self-service.
  • Suggested and participated in e-Verify enhancements to optimize employee experience.
  • Developed and implemented onboarding and orientation programs for new employees.
  • Collaborated with managers to identify and address employee relations issues.
  • Conducted performance reviews and provided feedback to managers on employee performance.
  • Administered employee benefits programs and assisted with open enrollment.
  • Created and delivered HR training sessions to staff, managers and executives.
  • Partnered with leadership team to standardize, streamline and globalize HR business processes

Leave and Disability Managment Administrator

EvergreenHealth Medical Center
01.2013 - 05.2018
  • Partner with the HR Business Partners to provide Employee and Labor Relations throughout Evergreen Hospital and clinics
  • Provide consistent and best practice approaches to staff and leadership while maintaining policies and applicable laws and contract language
  • Responsible for administering all aspects of the organization’s disability programs such as leaves of absence, workers compensation claims, and disability accommodations
  • Provides recommendations and claim status communications to employees and managers to ensure leaves of absence are handled in an equitable and consistent manner according to the organizations policies and the governing state regulations
  • Performs vendor management of third-party administrators
  • Coordinates all requests for reasonable accommodations and facilitates the return-to-work process
  • Collaborate with the benefits department to develop standard processes for transitioning employees to Affordable Care Act (ACA) and COBRA coverage when appropriate
  • Provide advice to organizational leaders on complex leaves, workers compensation claims and accommodations
  • Ability to communicate effectively with all levels of employees from front line employees to executive level employees within and outside of the organization
  • Substantial expertise in state and federal workplace safety laws and best practices
  • Maintained HRIS database
  • Demonstrated track record of performance and the successful implementation of positive change
  • Gather data, conduct research, and prepare and provide insight on HR analytics and metrics
  • Develop and present training to ensure new leaders have a greater understanding of disability management
  • Provide documentation and information to support the organization
  • Solely manage the day-to-day operations of all accommodations and the modified return to work program
  • Successfully lead multiple Human Resources projects including vender selections, Rapid Process Improvement Workshops (RPIW), new system implementation and policy updates.
  • Maintained company compliance with local, state, and federal laws, in addition to established organizational standards.
  • Maintained human resources regulatory compliance with local, state and federal laws.

Human Resources Generalist

EvergreenHealth Medical Center
06.2006 - 12.2012
  • Manage the Human Resources SharePoint site
  • Provide expert technical support to ensure timely, effective, and efficient recruitment and retention strategies that meet the organizational staffing requirements
  • Coordinating with applicants and employees to deliver a high-quality onboarding experience
  • Coordinate with Supervisors to move caregivers within our system to different departments, supervisors, etc
  • Facilitated the bi-weekly new hire orientation onboarding process
  • Responsible for the daily staffing and scheduling of all clinical staff in Maternity, NICU, and Pediatric departments
  • Collect and analyze clinical census information at predetermined intervals and ensure that adequate staffing levels are followed in accordance with staffing protocols Maintained HRIS database
  • Led a department wide initiative to better align RN schedules to the needs of the department by collaborating with RNs in a staffing committee
  • Coordinated incoming calls, emails, and faxes.
  • Provided guidance to managers and employees on talent management, payroll, FMLA and benefits.
  • Handled new-hire orientation and basic recruiting tasks for best-in-class talent identification.
  • Implemented and supervised orientation procedures for new hires.
  • Facilitated criminal background check process for new hires.
  • Conducted career fairs, screened resumes and interviewed applicants to build candidate pipelines and enhance company culture.
  • Understood, interpreted and mediated human resources inquiries to support administration of human resources policies, procedures and programs.
  • Improved quality of hiring decisions by working with hiring managers on new comprehensive employment selection processes.
  • Built comprehensive employee recruiting strategy.
  • Facilitated initiative to address disparities in hiring racial and ethnic minority applicants.
  • Fielded employee inquiries related to insurance, pension plan, vacation, sick leave and employee assistance.
  • Briefed job applicants regarding responsibilities, benefits and schedules to provide information regarding job specifications and logistics.
  • Created and delivered HR training sessions to staff, managers and executives.

Education

Associate of Applied Science - Business-Human Resources Management

Western Governors University, Salt Lake City, UT
02.2022

Bachelor of Arts - Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies

Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, NH
09.2024
  • Honor Roll Fall, 2022-Fall 2023
  • 3.88 GPA

Skills

  • Data Driven Decision Making
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office Products
  • Workers Compensation Claims Management
  • Intervention Strategies
  • Policy Implementation
  • Corrective Actions
  • Problem Resolution
  • Leadership Training and Development
  • Manage Employee Relations
  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
  • Leave of Absence Management
  • Effective Planning
  • Human Resources
  • Employee Referral Programs

Accomplishments

  • Led the implementation of the return-to-work program which has saved on workers’ compensation claim costs
  • Developed targeted training for new managers to ensure their success in navigating the complexities around leaves, workers’ compensation, and reasonable accommodations
  • Implemented new leave of absence vendor to ensure expert partnership and service expectations were being met for all our employees
  • Regularly provided instructions and guidance to organizational Managers, Leaders, and Executives
  • Moved all verifications of employment processes over to a third-party administrator which greatly decreased the manual processing component and streamlined the process.

Work Availability

monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Timeline

Employee Relations Partner - Premera Blue Cross
05.2022 - Current
Senior Benefits Administrator - Premera Blue Cross
10.2020 - 05.2022
Supervisor-HR Shared Services - Virginia Mason Medical Center
05.2018 - 10.2020
Leave and Disability Managment Administrator - EvergreenHealth Medical Center
01.2013 - 05.2018
Human Resources Generalist - EvergreenHealth Medical Center
06.2006 - 12.2012
Western Governors University - Associate of Applied Science, Business-Human Resources Management
Southern New Hampshire University - Bachelor of Arts, Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies

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Kristal Steele