Employee Relations Advisor

Pinsent Masons; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading law firm in Birmingham seeks an experienced professional for an Employee Relations role. You will provide advisory support on various employee issues, manage complex cases from inception to resolution, and ensure compliance with employment legislation. The ideal candidate will have at least 3 years of experience in an ER advisory capacity, knowledge of employment law, and the ability to foster diverse and inclusive work environments.

Qualifications

• At least 3 years in an employee relations advisory capacity.
• Experience with employment tribunals and complex case work.
• In-depth knowledge of employment law and HR practices.

Responsibilities

• Provide advisory support on employee relations issues.
• Conduct investigations and represent at formal meetings.
• Support managers in managing absence-related cases.

Skills

Employee relations advisory

Knowledge of employment law

Complex case management

Interpersonal communication

Training and coaching

Job description

Main duties and responsibilities

Employee Relations

• Become a trusted advisor on a variety of employee relations issues including performance, disciplinary, grievance, absence and flexible working for the HRBP team, and line managers as necessary.
• Providing consistent and commercially focussed advice to the HRBP team around ER issues, including being able to outline and quantify risks.
• Conduct thorough and objective investigations into ER issues, gathering relevant information and conducting interviews as necessary.
• Attendance as HR representative at formal meetings as required including disciplinary, grievance and appeal hearings ensuring fairness at all times.
• Produce carefully considered and accurate correspondence on ER matters such as scripts, emails and formal communication including invites and outcome letters.
• Supporting line managers and HRBPs to manage complex and long-term absence related cases.
• Be able to provide objective feedback for future learnings within the HRBP team and wider firm.
• Liaise with the Employee Relations Manager for necessary support on senior or complex ER issues.
• Supporting the business and HRBPs in implementing change programmes, including restructures, ensuring integrity and minimal disruption throughout the process.

Case Management

• Managing a variety of cases from inception to completion providing guidance to HR colleagues and line managers throughout.
• Continued oversight of the firm’s case management system ensuring cases are being managed both timely and thoroughly and escalating concerns identified.
• Monitoring the case management system for reporting purposes and analysing data to identify themes and trends.
• Liaising with Employee Relations Manager, the General Counsel’s Office and with the support of external employment lawyers in relation to more complex cases.
• Assisting with the management of any employment tribunal claims.

Policy & Project Work

• Assisting in the regular review and updating of firmwide policies to ensure legal compliance, seeking to make improvements to working practices whilst ensuring alignment to the firm's values and purpose.
• Where required, work with the relevant team on the implementation of new policies and driving forward relevant initiatives.
• Supporting wider HR project work as required and relevant to the role.

Documentation

• Working with the HRBP team and Projects HR Manager to ensure ER policies, processes and precedents are relevant for changing business needs and support the firm wide EVP.
• Ensure all ER letter templates, wider HR templates and associated documentation are kept up to date and held centrally for use by the wider team.
• Provide assistance in contract terms of employment interpretation and guidance.
• Review and update relevant guides and toolkits for the HRBP team on ER matters.

Learning & Development

• Interpreting changing UK employment legislation and providing information and relevant updates for the HR team as appropriate.
• Provide coaching, training and upskilling to the wider HR team and line managers.
• Identify relevant e-learning and review, update and create content for the relevant audience and platform.

Relevant Experience

• Demonstratable experience in an ER advisory capacity, including experience of employment tribunals, complex case work, disability and mental health cases.
• In-depth knowledge of employment law, regulations, and HR policies and practices.
• Experience of working in professional services firms with complex matrix structures preferred.
• Mediation experience desirable.
• At least 3 years of demonstratable experience in an ER advisory capacity, including experience of employment tribunals, complex case work, disability and mental health cases.
• In-depth knowledge of employment law, regulations, and HR policies and practices.
• Experience of working in professional services firms with complex matrix structures preferred.
• Mediation experience desirable.

At Pinsent Masons we value diversity and inclusion. We are committed to creating a better workplace where all our talent can succeed and feel like they belong. We want to attract, retain and develop people at all levels and encourage applications from all suitably qualified candidates whatever your ethnicity, religion, age, physical or mental disability/condition, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or another characteristics protected by local law in the jurisdictions in which we operate.