Olga Vela Rocha

• Serve as primary HR advisor to store leadership and regional executives supporting 1000+ employees (exempt & nonexempt)
• Lead complex employee relations investigations end-to-end compliance and risk mitigation
• Reduced investigation turnaround time from 14 days to 7 days through improved case management and prioritization
• Reduced anonymous hotline complaints from an average of 3 per month to 0 by building employee trust and direct communication channels
• Facilitated HR support for multi-state operations by traveling 80% within the region and 20% to other states.
• Reduced workers' compensation claims by 25% by implementing safety retraining protocols and return-to-work programs
• Drive engagement, retention, and performance initiatives across multiple locations
• Influence workforce planning, succession strategies, and organizational decisions
• Ensure compliance with California employment law (FMLA, ADA, wage & hour, EEOC)
• Coach leaders on discipline, performance, and employee management and continuous management training.
• Partner with Legal and HR leadership on sensitive cases and terminations
• Balance strategic HR initiatives with daily HR operations

• Managed employee relations, investigations, benefits, and payroll for 500+ employees
• Conducted independent investigations from intake through resolution
• Partnered with legal counsel on complex disputes
• Developed PPE safety programs ensuring OSHA compliance
• Digitized recruiting increasing applicants by 75%
• Reduced onboarding time by 33%
• Prepared executive investigation summaries for leadership to make final decision.

• Led full-cycle recruitment for 8 departments
• Enhanced applicant flow by 50% through targeted outreach and refined job postings
• Established COVID-19 compliance protocols to ensure employee safety during recruitment processes
• Created retention initiatives that fostered employee engagement and reduced turnover

• Supported 500+ employees across 3 sites
• Delivered leadership training to 40+ supervisors
• Built workforce reporting tools
• Reduced agency costs through vendor negotiations