Employee Relations Manager

freshfields; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Freshfields seeks an experienced Employee Relations Manager to join the global ER team. You will provide expert guidance to HR and leaders across the UK, leading complex ER projects and ensuring fair, compliant resolutions in a fast-paced professional services environment.

Based in Manchester with hybrid working, you will shape workplace experiences, drive policy development, and coach managers in ER best practices while maintaining strong stakeholder relationships and data-driven insights.

Qualifications

• Significant experience independently managing a broad range of employee relations matters.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and ER best practice.
• Confident presentation and reporting of ER data trends and actions.
• Experience advising managers and stakeholders on complex and sensitive issues.
• Ability to use AI tools to optimise working practices.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert advice on complex ER matters including conduct, complaints, sickness absence, and performance issues.
• Lead and manage complex ER cases from consultation to resolution.
• Conduct workplace investigations across regions.
• Oversee ownership and archiving of HR policies globally.
• Develop and implement employment policies, procedures and guidance.
• Deliver ER training and coaching to managers and HR teams.
• Stay updated on employment law and ER trends; keep advice current.

Skills

Employee relations

UK employment law

Stakeholder engagement

Data analysis

AI tools

Communication

Tools

AI tools

Job description

About Freshfields

At Freshfields we are committed to creating an inclusive, high-performing and supportive workplace where our colleagues can thrive and deliver exceptional service to our clients around the world.

We are looking for an experienced Employee Relations Manager to join our global Employee Relations team. This is an exciting opportunity for an employee relations specialist to play a key role in shaping positive workplace experiences, supporting business leaders and HR colleagues, and helping to foster a culture built on integrity, engagement and high performance.

The role

Reporting to the Senior Employee Relations Manager, you will be an expert ER specialist providing advice to HR colleagues and business leaders mainly across the UK but also to other regions. You will provide expert guidance on a broad range of employee relations matters and lead ER projects ensuring that issues are managed fairly, consistently and in line with best practice and employment legislation.

You will work collaboratively with HR colleagues and stakeholders across the firm, building strong relationships and helping managers navigate complex people matters with confidence.

This role offers the opportunity to work on challenging and varied employee relations issues within a fast-paced, professional services environment, while contributing to wider people initiatives, policies and processes.

The role will be based in Manchester Centre with hybrid working arrangements.

Key responsibilities

• Provide specialist expert advice and guidance on a wide range of complex employee relations matters, including conduct issues, complaints, conflict management, sickness absence (including ill-health capability) and performance management.
• Lead and manage complex employee relations cases from initial consultation through to resolution.
• Conduct workplace investigations for any region across Freshfields' global offices.
• Lead on a project to assign ownership, management and archiving of HR policies globally.
• Support the development and implementation of employment policies, procedures and guidance.
• Deliver practical and commercially focused advice that balances business needs with legal and organisational requirements.
• Deliver employee relations training and coaching to managers and HR teams.
• Keep abreast of developments in employment law and emerging employee relations trends, ensuring advice remains current and effective.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across the Employee Relations and wider HR function.

About you

• Significant experience managing a broad range of employee relations matters independently.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and employee relations best practice.
• Confident use of AI tools and technology to optimise working practices
• An engaging and confident presentation style especially when analysing and reporting back ER data trends and action plans
• Experience advising managers and stakeholders on complex and sensitive employee issues and coming up with creative problem-solving ideas.
• Compassionate and thoughtful interpersonal skills
• Excellent judgement and the ability to make balanced, commercially aware, and pragmatic decisions.
• Strong relationship-building and influencing skills, with the confidence to engage stakeholders at all levels.
• Outstanding communication skills, both written and verbal.

Desirable experience

• Employee relations experience gained within a large or complex organisation - all sectors considered professional services or similarly complex organisation.
• Project management qualification, skills or experience

Why join us?

At Freshfields, you will have the opportunity to work alongside talented colleagues in a friendly, fun, collaborative and supportive environment. You'll play an important role in helping shape the employee experience while developing your expertise within a globally recognised professional services firm.

Inclusion

Freshfields is an equal opportunities employer and all applications received by the firm will be considered by the firm on the basis of their merit alone and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of background. All offers of employment will be conditional on the candidate having/securing the right to work in the UK and providing the firm with evidence of that right (as required by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006) prior to employment commencing.

Freshfields is a Ban the Box employer. We ask applicants to disclose criminal convictions only when a conditional job offer is made. A conviction does not automatically lead to withdrawal of the offer: we make decisions on a case by case basis and take a number of f