The Role: The HR Associate is the first point of contact for employees, applicants, guests, and visitors, ensuring a welcoming and professional experience. This role is well-suited for someone with strong computer skills and an interest in building a career in Human Resources. You'll support a variety of HR functions like recruiting, onboarding, data entry, and maintaining accurate employee records, while helping to foster a culture of respect, integrity, and service. Location: Salinas, CA Areas of Responsibility:
- Serve as a welcoming and professional first point of contact for employees, visitors, and callers-providing exceptional service in person, by phone, and via email
- Promptly answer, screen, and forward all incoming calls to appropriate team members.
- Support general HR functions by responding to inquiries on policies, benefits, payroll, recruiting, employee relations, and more
- Assist new hires with onboarding paperwork and HR system registration
- Maintain accurate employee records and personnel files
- Assist with data entry, HRIS updates, and employment/unemployment verifications
- Complete initial entitlement leaves request paperwork
- Participate in department meetings and contribute to process improvement efforts
- Stay up to date on company policies, procedures, and HR best practices
- Ensure compliance with company policies while maintaining strict confidentiality of sensitive information
- Assist with incoming and outgoing mail, supply inventory, and administrative tasks
- Guide employees to appropriate HR resources and stay informed on current policies and procedures
- Demonstrate reliable attendance and flexibility, including availability for evening and weekend support as needed
- Perform additional duties as assigned
Preferred Qualifications:
- Bi-lingual and bi-literate in English and Spanish.
- Associate's degree and a minimum of two years of HR related work experience.
- Superior written and verbal interpersonal skills to communicate, work with, and respond to questions from employees, in the field, to the various operations, outside agencies, team members, supervisors, management, and external stakeholders.
- Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of variables in situations where either limited standardization exists or a recommendation needs to be made to produce the desired outcome.
- Have familiarity with Excel functions and formulas.
Ideal Candidate:
- Promote a positive Company image, understand and support overall Department and Company priorities.
- Must be a team player with a can-do attitude and be goal-driven.
- Must work well with minimal supervision, take initiative, be a self-starter, have a sense of urgency, and be process-driven.
- Must be able to work independently and in a team environment, have excellent communication, and organizational skills, and great attention to detail.
- Must have the ability to multitask and work with constant interruptions.