For more than 35 years, I've been working with international clients on a wide range of Human Resources projects, gathering experience in diverse areas. I look forward to hearing about your project and plan its success together.
If I had job for him, I’d hire him tomorrow. Relaxed and quick – you don’t get a glimpse of his inner steel. Not afraid to make difficult decisions. Employees will love him. Sr. Management will quickly come to respect him because of his guidance. He is equally strong in the generalist and technical disciplines of HR, a unique mix. Can build and manipulate software. Good strategic skills. Good teacher.
Mike is a calm, yet strong leader as he guides his team toward superior performance. He is empowering, yet accessible to discuss complicated issues, as needed. He is not a micro-manager, but trusts his team to perform within their areas of expertise. Mike challenges his staff to grow in their professional knowledge, skills, and abilities. He partners effectively with the executive team to arrive at strategic decisions and tactical solutions to pressing issues. He is knowledgeable of all aspects of the Human Resource field, including employment law, hiring, employee relations, payroll, benefits, and HRIS among others. I would highly recommend Mike to guide your HR staff as they maneuver the increasingly complicated areas of employment law and administration, and would count it a privilege to be on his team again if the opportunity arose.
Mike and I worked together at Conseco for 3 years. We were both VP's and worked on several similar teams such as benefits, compensation, and performance evaluations, etc. I ran a large service center and needed help from HR in a wide variety of areas to successfully manage my teams. Mike and his staff were extremely helpful in key areas such as recruitment, screening, selection, training, disciplinary actions, benefits, etc. It was a pleasure working with Mike and I would recommend him for any HR leadership position.
He maintains a great balance between making staff feel comfortable with the function and being a pushover. Thinks well on feet, handles issues directly but makes management aware when necessary. He is very professional in dealing with all levels of employees from entry level staff to Sr. Management. Constantly took on more and more administrative responsibilities within the organization, adding Payroll, Building Services, Corporate Training, and others without missing a beat. He has recruiting and reduction experience at both high and entry level. Very dependable – Things get done! Strong leadership and managerial skills. Very systems oriented. Not typical of Sr. Level HR professional, important when not a great deal of support staff.
Mike is an HR professional who brought structure, reason and a calm demeanor to dealing with changing environments. When we worked together, our company was growing rapidly and shifting its product mix and workforce. This created special HR needs that Mike was very able to fulfill with strength and assurance. He definitely helped us grow and develop our organization and, at the same time, resolve employee and departmental issues. I would recommend Mike to any organization that wants a true professional and leader in the HR management arena.
The bearded wonder. Did it all and did it well. You cannot do better than him. He took a barebones HR system that was unreliable from ground zero and turned it into the cornerstone of the HR function. Extremely versatile. Effective in all areas of HRIS to include system setup and manipulation to training of staff and employee base. Also highly effective in the generalist functions of the HR area. Worked his way up to the VP level within a short period of time while performing in parallel paths of technical/traditional HR. Truly served a dual role during tenure. Has personality for the position, great with staff, great with management, great with IT. He’ll make it work and work well.
I had the pleasure of working for Mike in the Human Resources Department at Conseco from 1998-2002. I found Mike to be a strong leader, wonderful mentor and trusted HR professional. Mike is a strategic business partner with strong business acumen and extremely knowledgeable within all facets of HR. Mike practices a servant-leadership style and displays a high level of integrity and character with all he comes into contact with. I would highly recommend Mike and be privileged to work with him again!
Mike is a very knowledgeable HR professional. He was very insightful in his recommendations when I had HR questions and also very sensitive to employees and their issues.
I had the pleasure to work with Mike at Pioneer Life Insurance Company in Rockford, Illinois. I found Mike to be very professional and reliable. He proved himself to be knowledgeable in any employee situation that arose. He always provided honest and professional feedback in each situation. I always could count on his support no matter what the decision was. He was great to work with!
Mike is professional in all his workings--he was the HR resource and knew the importance of maintaining confidences while working with management to address employee needs/concerns. When it was time to work through a tough situation with a staff member, he knew how to be empathetic without being sympathetic. He was a JOY to work with!
Mike is a dedicated and reliable professional. He proved himself to be knowledgeable in employee relations issues and open-minded in his consideration of all of the details of each situation he addressed. I knew I could rely on him for a fair and honest opinion on employee issues and 100% support once a decision was made. He provided a consistent message to managers and employees alike and was well-respected by his co-workers.
I had the pleasure of working with Mike McFarland at Pioneer Life / Conseco Medical Insurance Company. I worked with Mike from approximately 1994 to 2001. I would work with Mike on any and/or all HR related issues/functions that I would come across in my day to day activities. He is extremely knowledgeable in the HR role, as it related to policies, procedures and regulations. The management team at Conseco looked to Mike as our "go to" person, on any and all human resource related topics.
Kim, as we prepare to move forward in the next month with our installation of HR Actions, I thought I’d take a moment to pass along our sincere appreciation for the work of Mike McFarland. Mike demonstrates a customer service orientation that is incredibly strong. He provides assistance quickly and efficiently, and we have never had a sense that he extends service or support calls in an effort to increase his billing. Yet, he always carves out sufficient time when we DO need his assistance – he truly makes us feel as if we’re his only customer. Mike’s dedication to providing such strong service is the single factor that has motivated us to refuse to even consider other Sage partners – in spite of the periodic sales calls we’ve received.
Please pass along our appreciation to the folks that should know – y’all have a real gem in Mike!
I just wanted to follow up on our conference call yesterday and let you know your report was terrific. It was all worth it.
Carol-Lynn and Lou both commented that it was a good match to what they had hoped for. Personally, considering what you had to work with in the beginning, I think you did an awesome job. The knock on effect is that my job is a bit easier :)
Thank you.
A Member of the Team
We recently implemented HRActions and felt overwhelmed by WYSIWYG’s and User Defined Fields. Mike McFarland took all that confusion away and made us feel confident in utilizing the system. Currently we completed our Performance Evaluations and Mike was there every step of the way. Mike has a way of making you forget he is not a member of your own team because he is so engaged in the work that your organization is conducting.
Alerts & Workflow – Mike’s our Go-To
Mike McFarland is a reliable & knowledgeable helpline for us! He’s been there to build alerts & troubleshoot any kinks that arise with them. He’s an outstanding asset! With his expertise, we’ve been able to implement alerts that allow our HR team to be more efficient by allowing HRMS to track changes for us. Mike has been wonderful to work with – he’s on top of things, communicates very well, and has the knowhow to get our ideas set in motion.
Mike goes above and beyond!
Mike McFarland goes above and beyond to answer all our questions and makes sure that everything is just how we want it. With his HR expertise we have been able to make our HR Department more efficient.
Outstanding Customer Service from Mike
Mike McFarland is excellent at troubleshooting Alerts! Without his knowledge and help, Alerts would still not be running. Our IT partners could not resolve but Mike did! His response time is quick and he is very patient! Thanks Mike!!
Thanks for hanging in there with us on this Mike. Carol Ayers said we needed to grab you if you were ever available as what you can do with "crystal reports" is a miracle! Needless to say you impressed some fellow programmers. :)
Great Support
Mike McFarland is always very responsive and goes out of his way to make sure we are taken care of. Thanks Mike! We very much appreciate you.
Prompt response and quality support
Working with Mike McFarland has been a great experience. We logged a ticket in the morning and got almost instantaneous responses. Issue was resolved by 3:00 pm successfully. Very happy with Mike's HR knowledge and professionalism.
Human Resources Executive
Business focused HR leader with a passion for driving organizational effectiveness within companies undergoing dramatic change. Offers a unique background of executive level HR Generalist Skills and HRMS development, automation and implementation. Brings a history of integrating HR into business decisions – providing oversight, guidance, and strategies that increase profitability, strengthen operations, and enhance employee experiences.
Able to leverage a broad understanding of HR to serve as a trusted advisor on a broad range of complex subjects.
Lead development, implementation, and training for transformative strategic HR initiatives and operational enhancements.
Leverage data analysis to uncover and seize upon opportunities to improve employee experiences
while reducing expenses.
Establish cooperative team environments that
increase operational efficiency and influence high levels of performance.
Implement policies, procedures, and systems to
automate functions, enhancing productivity, efficiency and compliance.
Oversee a wide range of HR and HRMS/HRIS consulting services, including needs assessments, implementations, user training, and system troubleshooting for nationwide client base. Serve as project manager for new business and primary consultant for project rescue. Address a broad range of general HR and Payroll software challenges. Partner with client HR and IT teams to analyze workflows and desired objectives to develop customized HR and HR technology solutions.
Oversaw a wide range of HR and HRMS/HRIS consulting services, including needs assessments, implementations, user training, and system troubleshooting for nationwide client base. Serve as project manager for new business and primary consultant for project rescue. Address a broad range of general HR and Payroll software challenges. Partner with client HR and IT teams to analyze workflows and desired objectives to develop customized HR and HR technology solutions.
VP Human Resources, Training, and Building Services (1997 – 2003)
Provided Leadership and direction for Human Resources, Payroll, Training and Building Services Departments for 2500+ employees across eight states. Managed branch and corporate office HR staff and HRIS functions, including a team of 25 HR generalists and specialists. Leverage expertise in HR law and partnerships with legal counsel to facilitate successful resolution of litigation and employee disputes. Served on numerous corporate HR and Steering Committees and HR subcommittees
Managed all aspects of the HR function, from facilitating leadership training and resolving employee disputes to minimizing exposure by driving compliance. Oversaw branch and corporate office HRIS, including purchasing, implementation, and training.
Managed all personnel related functions for an 800-member battalion. Trained and supervised 8-10 administrative clerks. Oversaw recruiting for skilled positions within battalion. Facilitated policy training and conflict resolution. Reported statistical data to commander, staff, and unit personnel.
Life Office Management Association, Inc.
Associate Customer Service Designation
Let me know if I might be able to assist with your HR needs. Send me an email or call me and let's talk about your situation.
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