Carole Johnson

1950 West 240th St., Lomita, CA 90717 * (310) 530-5259 * (310) 8

95-3939 Cell * cjac19d2@westpost.net
Human Resources Executive
"Dedicated to teaching people to play nice in the sandbox"
Human Resources Executive with 20+ years of experience in diverse industries ope
rating in multi-state, multi-location environment. Bilingual English/Spanish wi
th proven abilities and success in:
* Strategic Planning -Worked directly with executive management on development o
f operational human resource policies, staffing plans and organization design.
* Benefits, Compensation & Performance Management - Developed compensation and b
enefit plans for employee base of up to 1,500. Introduced a 360-feedback tool fo
r human resources performance appraisals. Managed deferred compensation, 401k p
lans and all company benefit programs.
* Recruitment - Recruited all levels of employees including administrative, prof
essional, creative, technical, hourly and salaried. Able to swiftly and effectiv
ely attract new talent and conduct start-up orientations for large groups.
* Legal Compliance - Created HR departments from scratch. Wrote and enforced num
erous policies and procedures to ensure compliance with corporate, federal and s
tate requirements. Well-versed in EEOC and DFEH.
* Employee Development - Mentored teams of loyal and highly effective staff. Per
suaded executive management to upgrade education benefits, and known as a champi
on for professional development. Designed and led training sessions on human res
ources topics.
Executive
Endorsements:
"Carole is a thoughtful, wise leader, partner, collaborator and tough when she n
eeds to be. We had extraordinarily difficult situations with talent, owners, an
d employees, and she was my greatest and wisest partner as we resolved issues ap
propriately and quickly...." COO, Rock & Republic Enterprises
"Carole is top notch in all areas of Human Resources. Always there to guide, adv
ise, give different and intelligent points of view. Her wealth of knowledge is o
nly second to her integrity and willingness to help anyone in need. Carole is a
tireless and candid professional that is always sought out by her peers and subo
rdinates alike...." V. P. Loss Prevention, Eurostar, Inc.
EXPERIENCE & ACHIEVEMENTS
Rock & Republic, Culver City, CA
Vice President, Human Resources 4/2008 - P
resent
Developed policies and directed human resources and payroll activities, such as
recruitment, compensation planning, employee relations, benefits, training, and
worker's compensation for a luxury apparel company with 200 employees. Collabora
ted with executive management on short- and long- term strategic human resource
plans.
* Reduced turnover by 85% in key positions by utilizing behavior based interview
ing techniques and developing strong relationships with hiring managers.
* Successfully negotiated new terms and conditions with recruiting firms and red
uced utilization of outside recruiters by 40%.
* Performed "data scrub" resulting in accurate annual census data for brokers to
use in negotiations for competitive benefits and worker's compensation coverage
resulting in minimum cost increases, less than 5%.
* Performed job analysis and developed comprehensive job descriptions which prov
ided management better visibility to make informed decisions regarding redundant
functions, overlap and pay disparities.
Eurostar Inc., dba Warehouse Shoe Sale, Gardena, CA
Vice President, Human Resources 2/2003 - 4
/2008
Managed day-to-day human resources activities for footwear retailer with 55 stor
es and over 1000 employees. Developed and managed an annual department budget
of$1.5 million. Sourced, recruited, interviewed, and hired employees at all lev
els. Worked with brokers to negotiate competitive benefits and worker's compensa
tion coverage. Handled all general liability insurance.
Carole Johnson page 2
* Developed a sample library of written warnings for managers to use as examples
which led to an improved and consistent counseling process.
* Successfully reduced workplace injuries by 50% the first year through the deve
lopment of safety training and a safety awareness program.
* Created and analyzed turnover reports to identify reasons for employee departu
res; developed training programs to address the issues and reduced turnover by 3
5%.
* Investigated harassment and discrimination claims; took appropriate corrective
measures as needed and avoided litigation through thorough documentation and fo
llow-up.
* Stopped a union takeover effort by working in tandem with legal counsel to pla
n activities in accord with National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Saved the com
pany annual labor rate hikes of up to 12% and protected company's reputation wit
h an important client.
BCBG MaxAzria, Vernon, CA
Director, Human Resources/Payroll
4/2001 - 2/2003
Managed staff of 10 in directing human resources activities such as recruitment,
compensation, employee relations, benefits, training, and worker's compensation
for a large apparel manufacturer/retailer with 110 stores in over 40 states. D
esigned and maintained a pay plan by conducting periodic pay surveys and analyzi
ng individual pay actions. Directed the activities of the multi-state payroll d
epartment, filed all payroll taxes to reduce costs associated with 3rd party pay
roll processing.
* Provided data analysis and job audits that resulted in defeating a class actio
n lawsuit regarding alleged FLSA violations.
* Served as Project Manager to implement new HRIS/Payroll System; played key rol
e in streamlining collection of timekeeping data from a manual to an automated p
rocess.
* Trained managers to coach and discipline employees; successfully resolved empl
oyee grievances resulting in zero complaints taken to DFEH or Labor Board.
Chorus Line, Corp., Vernon, CA (Filed Chapter 11)
Director, Human Resources/Payroll 1/1994 - 5/2000
Directed and coordinated day to day human resources activities, including employ
ment, compensation, employee relations, benefits, training, and employee service
s for a large apparel manufacturer with over 700 employees. Directed the activi
ties of the payroll department. Resolved employee grievances; counseled employe
es and supervisors. Attended arbitration and mediation hearings.
* Built a human resources department from scratch, and trained a new staff compr
ised of a worker's comp/benefits manager, 1 payroll manager, 1 generalist and a
clerk -all within the first 9 months.
* Challenged to train human resources staff to support an increased workforce of
500 employees, equating to a 140% growth rate in personnel in only 18 months. S
upported 500 more employees with zero increase in HR staff and minimal overtime.
* Selected and implemented new HRIS/Payroll system as well as the timekeeping an
d attendance system; reduced overtime by 45%.
* Developed and maintained compensation structure to ensure FLSA compliance and
pay equity.
Taren Holdings, Commerce, CA (filed Chapter 11)
Manager, HRIS/Payroll 2/1992 - 11/1993
Managed HR/Payroll department for a large swimwear manufacturer; processed weekl
y, biweekly and sales commission payrolls for 2000 employees in a multi-state en
vironment. Spearheaded project to convert from in-house payroll to 3rd party. Pe
rformed the system mapping, audited results and determined the "go-live date' re
sulting in a successful conversion. Implemented the Kronos timekeeping and atten
dance system.

Carole Johnson page 3

Hughes Aircraft Company, El Segundo, CA
Human Resource Staff Administrator 1/1986 - 2/1992
Provided critical information to group executives by developing monthly staffing
reports & graphs reflecting Group-wide statistics. Recommended process/procedur
e improvements by developing and implementing system to track Group-wide hires &
terminations; analyzing trends through statistical reports. Supported informat
ion analysis by performing compensation analysis, preparing reports and advising
management on proposed promotions and increases. Insured integrity of Executive
Compensation database by developing and writing procedures, monitoring all acti
vity of executive compensation eligible employees and developing staffing report
s for upper management.
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook, Org Chart Plus, Calendar
Creator Plus,
Visio, ADP HR Partner, ADP HR Perspective, ADP HR Profile, ADP PC Payroll, Zuric
h Payroll Systems, Kronos Timekeeping & Attendance, Jantek Timekeeping & Attenda
nce System, ADP Ezlabor Timekeeping System, ADP Enterprise Etime.
EDUCATION, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & AFFILIATIONS
College studies, Spanish, CSULB, Dean's Honor Roll
Completed Wicklander Ziewlawski Interviewing and Interrogation Techniques
American Society for Training & Development (ASTD)
The Human Resource Planning Society (HRPS)
Professionals in Human Resources Association (PIRHA)
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)