Melissa Carr knows what it takes to compete for qualified talent.
Carr, who holds a master’s in human resources management from Webster University and is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking in Madison, Wis., has served as the vice president and human resource director at Guaranty Bank for the last five years. In that role, she coordinates all aspects of the bank’s compensation and benefits, staffing, employee relations, training and development.
In all, Carr has 13 years of experience as a human resources director.
She says attracting qualified talent that can meet Guaranty’s expectations can be tricky. Although the bank receives plenty of resumes, she says many applicants do not have the experience necessary to land the job they seek. Also, there can be issues with the applicants not looking the part.
“Societal norms have changed whereas the conservative professional expectations for bankers remain somewhat constant,” Carr says.
To address such challenges, Carr established a two-day orientation program.
Under Carr, the bank also offers training sessions for some positions as workers progress into areas of higher responsibility. In addition, the HR department works with supervisors, coaching them on how to handle issues with employees directly.
As a result, Carr led an effort in May 2011 to add an employee-and-benefits specialist to the HR department, which has strengthened the screening process and freed up time at the hiring manager level.
At the first of the year with the help of an employee focus group, Carr converted the bank’s vacation and sick programs to a paid-time-off model.
“As a result of the information gathered from these sources, the PTO program was put into place that allowed employees more freedom and flexibility in how they utilize their time away from the bank,” Carr says.
Carr also has managed to add a third insurance option this year for employees and converted the bank’s 401(k) to a safe harbor plan.
“This provides for higher match calculations for all participating employees and reduces participation limits that exist in a traditional plan,” Carr says.
Carr also annually attends the Missouri State Society for Human Resources Management Conference, served six years on the board of directors for the Springfield Area Human Resources Association and has served on the Center for Financial Training Board of Directors since 2001.
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