Ashley McKenzie

People & Culture

Shelbyville, KY, US

Trend Analysis

Onboarding

Employee Relations

Policy Development

Change Management

Payroll

Risk Management

Compliance

Coaching

Recruitment

Organizational Development

Available for hire fromNegotiable

Senior People & Employee Relations Leader | 10+ Years Building HR/ER Systems

Senior People & Employee Relations leader with 10+ years building scalable people infrastructure, manager coaching, and employee relations systems for fast-growing, multi-state organizations. Trusted advisor to executives and managers on performance management, promotions, compensation, retention, and exits. Led high-risk investigations and complex offboardings while partnering cross-functionally with Legal, Compliance, Payroll, and Benefits to keep employment practices audit-ready. Skilled at translating policy and compliance requirements into clear, defensible manager guidance, with deep experience scaling HR/ER through significant headcount growth and enterprise-wide policy overhauls.

Projects

Multi-State Sick Leave Compliance Audit and Remediation

Overview I led a comprehensive audit of sick leave policies and practices across 18 states to assess compliance with state and local paid sick leave laws. The audit identified gaps in accrual, usage, carryover, documentation, and notice requirements, and I directed the corrective actions needed to bring the organization into full compliance. Scope and Approach 1. Reviewed applicable statutory requirements in each of the 18 states, including local ordinances where relevant. 2. Compared legal requirements against existing policies, payroll configurations, and handbook language. 3. Identified and prioritized compliance gaps by risk and impact. 4. Partnered with cross-functional teams, including Legal, Payroll, HRIS, Benefits, and Operations, to implement corrections and confirm that systems, policies, and employee-facing materials were updated accurately and consistently. Training and Communication I designed and delivered state-specific training for all people leaders, including Senior Level management, covering legal requirements, employee rights, leader responsibilities, and how to respond to sick leave requests properly. This equipped leaders to apply the corrected policies consistently and reduced the risk of future violations. Outcome 1. Corrected sick leave practices across all 18 states. 2. Aligned policies, systems, and communications with current legal requirements. 3. Strengthened leader accountability and organizational compliance readiness. 4. Reduced legal and financial exposure related to sick leave administration.See More

Enterprise PTO Policy Redesign and Implementation

Overview I developed and implemented a new PTO policy covering approximately 12,000 full-time employees. The initiative addressed inconsistent PTO level assignments at the time of hire and established a standardized, equitable framework that could be administered accurately across the organization. Challenge While reviewing PTO administration, I found that the correct PTO level was not consistently applied to new hires. This produced inconsistencies in accrual across the workforce, creating fairness concerns and compliance and administrative risk. Approach 1. Audited PTO assignments to identify the scope and root cause of the inconsistencies. 2. Designed a new PTO policy that standardized level assignment at hire. 3. Built a financial analysis and cost projection to quantify the impact of the proposed plan. 4. Presented the proposal, supporting financials, and projected costs to the VP of HR and the Chief Administration Officer, and secured approval to proceed. Employee Impact and Mitigation Some employees were negatively affected by the transition to the standardized model. To address this, the company offered two floating holidays per year, which were increased at no additional cost to the company, ensuring that no employee lost time off hours as a result of the change. Outcome 1. Implemented a consistent PTO framework for approximately 12,000 full-time employees. 2, Eliminated hire-level assignment errors and improved administrative accuracy. 3. Achieved cost-neutral mitigation, preserving employee time off without added expense. 4. Gained executive alignment through data-driven financial modeling.See More

Work History

Team Relations Partner

EyeCare PartnersMar 2024 - Dec 2025 • 1 yr 10 mos▪ Served as senior Employee Relations advisor to HR Reps and senior leadership on complex ER matters, disciplinary actions, leave (FMLA/CFRA), ADA/PWFA accommodations, layoffs, and policy interpretation — the trusted point of judgment for high-stakes personnel decisions. ▪ Personally led high-risk investigations into harassment, discrimination, retaliation, HIPAA, and workplace misconduct, producing concise, defensible investigative reports used directly by leadership and Legal. ▪ Coached managers on setting clear expectations, delivering direct feedback, and navigating hard conversations — reviewing and drafting disciplinary letters, corrective action plans, and coaching memos to reinforce a high-performance, low-risk culture. ▪ Partnered with Legal, Compliance, Privacy, Risk Management, and Title IX teams to keep policy application consistent across departments and audit-ready. ▪ Led a multi-state policy standardization effort and an enterprise-wide PTO policy overhaul impacting 8,500 employees — building lightweight, durable process during a period of organizational scaling. ▪ Ran trend analysis on ER themes and investigation outcomes to identify systemic risk and recommend manager training priorities.

HR Specialist (Six Month Contract, Knipper Health)

LHH Recruitment SolutionsOct 2023 - Mar 2024 • 6 mos▪ Owned HR operations across multi-site business units, ensuring compliant documentation, HRIS accuracy, and consistent process execution during a period of rapid hiring. ▪ Coordinated hiring workflows with 7 staffing partners and managed 200+ interview schedules for clinical and operational roles, improving pipeline visibility and candidate experience. ▪ Partnered with Training, IT, and HR to streamline onboarding and improve day-one readiness for new hires.

Senior HR Generalist

AmazonNov 2019 - Apr 2022 • 2 yrs 6 mos▪ Delivered day-to-day employee relations support and manager coaching to Area Managers and 1,500+ associates across multiple fulfillment centers. ▪ Managed LOA, ADA, and FMLA cases end-to-end, ensuring accurate documentation and regulatory compliance at scale. ▪ Oversaw 300+ internal transfers and conversions, reviewing documentation for policy alignment and consistency. ▪ Led Tier 3 recruitment across three warehouses, designing a regional process that cut cycle time by 30%.

HR Business Partner

AmTrans LogisticsJan 2014 - Sep 2019 • 5 yrs 9 mos▪ Served as HR Business Partner through a period of company growth of roughly 250 employees, scaling ER processes, policy, and manager capability alongside headcount growth. ▪ Owned employee relations, performance reviews, coaching, disciplinary actions, and terminations across multiple departments. ▪ Managed employee handbook updates and policy revisions to keep pace with federal and state employment law changes. ▪ Conducted performance-related investigations and advised leadership on defensible corrective actions. ▪ Led engagement and organizational development initiatives that improved retention and manager capability.

Employee Relations Specialist

US XpressMay 2012 - May 2013 • 1 yr 1 mo▪ Managed complex ER matters including FMLA, personal leaves, ADA accommodations, and workers’ compensation investigations of 7,500 employees. ▪ Led company-wide investigations and supported unemployment hearings and background-check processes to mitigate hiring risk. ▪ Built and implemented return-to-work programs, including RTW testing, DOT physicals, and drug screens.

Education

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Bachelor of Science, Human Resources Management

Purdue Global

Master of Business Administration

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