About Us

Practical HR Consulting

Alliance HR Partners is the consulting practice of Chuck Simikian, SHRM-SCP, SPHR. I work with business owners, executives and HR teams who need the HR function to actually work — policies people follow, documentation that holds up, managers who know what to do when something goes wrong.

I approach HR from a risk management perspective. Most of the expensive HR problems I’ve seen didn’t start as big problems. They started as a missing document, an inconsistent decision, or a manager who wasn’t sure what he was allowed to say. Get the foundation right and most of it never happens.

Where I come from

I started in HR at Walt Disney World and spent sixteen years at Universal Orlando in recruiting, training, park operations and employee relations — including staffing the openings of Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and CityWalk.

From there I ran HR as a director and corporate director across resorts, hotels and multi-state companies: Ginn Resorts, supporting 2,500 employees across six states, the Bahamas and the U.S. Virgin Islands; Nickelodeon Suites Resort; Paramount Hospitality Management; and Colorvision International. I’ve built HR departments from nothing, integrated them through acquisitions, and taken them apart through reductions in force.

Since 2019 I’ve done that work as a consultant — including interim and task force HR director assignments placed into properties that needed someone to walk in cold and steady the function.

What I do

Employee handbooks, policies and procedure manuals
HR audits and compliance — I-9, FLSA classification, employment files, DOL
Workplace investigations, including third-party investigations
Recruitment, onboarding and offer process design
Performance management, coaching, counseling and termination support
Supervisory and management leadership training
HR systems implementation support
Fractional and interim HR leadership

Teaching and writing

I’m a SHRM Approved Recertification Training Designer and Provider, which means the training I deliver carries SHRM recertification credit.

I’m the co-author of The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition — Getting HR Right: Your Step-by-Step Reference for Avoiding Costly HR Mistakes, a framework of more than eighty checklists covering hiring, performance, culture and compliance.

I also co-host the HR Stories Podcast, where we use real cases to teach leaders how to handle investigations, documentation and the situations nobody trains you for. We’re approaching 200 episodes.

My writing has appeared in HR Professionals Magazine, Cayuga Hospitality Consultants and NOLN.

Who I work with

Small and mid-sized employers who have outgrown doing HR off the side of someone’s desk. Companies entering the U.S. market who need to get employment right from day one. Hospitality and attractions operators. And organizations in transition — new ownership, an acquisition, a vacant HR seat.

How to start

A conversation, at no charge, to figure out what you actually need. Some clients need one project. Some need a handbook and never speak to me again. Some want someone on retainer so there’s a phone number to call before they do something they can’t undo.