Employee Relations Partner - North

Booker Group plc; Leeds; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Booker colleague card discounts

Tesco colleague discounts

Flexible working discussion

Health & wellbeing support

Pension and life cover

Job summary

Booker is recruiting an Employee Relations specialist to provide expert ER support across the North region, resolving complex matters fairly and in line with employment law and policy. You’ll work with managers and leaders to promote informal resolution while handling formal processes when necessary.

You will help identify risks, trends and opportunities for improvement, collaborating with People Partners and external law providers as required, across the north of the country including Scotland

Qualifications

• Strong ER experience with formal case management and employment law knowledge.
• Experience advising on conduct, capability, performance, absence, grievance and other workplace matters.
• Ability to provide clear, practical, risk-based advice to managers and People colleagues.
• Experience coaching managers to build ER capability and confidence.
• Analytical and evidence-led with data to identify trends and causation.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist ER support across the North region, resolving matters fairly and in line with policy and law.
• Advise managers on formal ER processes and support complex, high-risk cases.
• Promote informal resolution and build manager capability through coaching and guidance.
• Analyse ER data, trends and themes to inform interventions and improvements.
• Collaborate with People Partners, policy, legal and operations on change programmes.

Skills

ER experience

employment law

case management

advising managers

mediation

data analysis

stakeholder management

policy application

Tools

MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint)

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Leeds

At Booker, along with being a great place to work and giving you an opportunity to get on in your career, we also offer the following fantastic package of benefits:

• A Booker colleague card with 10% off purchases at Booker and double discount events up to three times a year.
• After 3 months service, a Tesco colleague discount card with 10% increasing to 15% off most purchases at Tesco for a 4 day period after every four-weekly pay day, ie. thirteen times a year. In addition to 10% off at Tesco Cafe and 20% off all F&F purchases.
• 10% off pay monthly & SIM only deals with Tesco Mobile for yourself, along with further great deals through-out the year.
• Up to 30% off car, pet and home insurance at Tesco bank. Terms and conditions apply.
• Free eye test when you spend £50 or more. You can also save 30% when you spend £50 or more on glasses, prescription sunglasses and contact lenses.
• 50% off health checks at Tesco Pharmacy.
• Exclusive access to discounted RAC breakdown cover rates
• An exclusive deals and discounts website saving you money on everyday purchases including a cycle to work scheme.
• After 3 months service, you can join our annual Save As You Earn share scheme which allows you to buy Tesco shares in the future at a discount.
• Retirement savings plan (pension) - save up to 5% and Booker will match your contribution.
• Life Assurance - You are covered for death in service life cover of up to three times annual pay
• Health and Wellbeing support and resources including our 24/7, confidential Employee Assistance Programme and Virtual GP for you and your family.
• A great holiday package

About the role

This is a new exciting role we're bringing into the business as part of our aims to establish an employee relations (ER) team.You'll be required to provide specialist employee relations (ER) support across the North region, helping managers and leaders resolve ER matters fairly, consistently and in line with employment law, company policy and Booker values.

You'll be a trusted ER expert, supporting complex and sensitive cases, building manager capability, promoting informal resolution where appropriate, and using ER insight to identify risks, trends and opportunities for improvement.

Whilst we've advertised this role in and around Leeds due to it's good transport links, we're flexible on where this role is based as it's a regional role which will cover the north of the country including but not limited to; North Wales, North East, North West, Scotland and some parts of the Midlands.

You will be responsible for

• Build effective relationships with People Partners, People Advisors, managers and leaders to support effective resolution of ER matters.
• Provide timely expert advice and guidance on a broad range of ER matters, including conduct, capability, performance, absence, grievance and other workplace issues.
• Promote informal resolution wherever appropriate, helping managers build confidence in early intervention, effective conversations and practical issue resolution.
• Advise managers on formal ER processes, actively supporting complex and sensitive cases in the field.
• Act as a trusted expert on people policies, promoting consistent application and identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Provide constructive challenge to managers and leaders where decision-making, policy application, cultural impact or ER risk requires review.
• Analyse ER data, case trends and regional themes to identify risks, opportunities and priorities.
• Use ER insight to deliver targeted interventions that strengthen manager capability, improve consistency and reduce ER risk.
• Partner with People Partnering teams to provide advice on TUPE, redundancy and people-impacting change programmes.
• Work closely with employment law providers on high-risk cases, ensuring advice is practical, risks are understood and lessons learned are shared across the business.
• Escalate complex, sensitive or high-risk matters appropriately, providing clear recommendations, risk assessments and proposed next steps.
• Support wider ER projects, policy updates, manager capability activity and continuous improvement initiatives where required.

You will need

Technical / Professional

• Strong ER experience, including formal case management and employment law application.
• Good understanding of UK employment law and ER risk.
• Experience advising on conduct, capability, performance, absence, grievance, harassment, discrimination and other workplace matters.
• Experience using mediation and conflict resolution skills to address issues outside of formal processes.
• Experience supporting complex, sensitive or high-risk ER cases.
• Ability to provide clear, practical and risk-based advice to managers, leaders and People colleagues.
• Experience coaching managers to build confidence and capability in ER.
• Ability to analyse ER data, identify trends and recommend targeted interventions.
• Good understanding of people policies, change processes, TUPE, redundancy and people-impacting business change.
• Experience working with external employment law providers and managing a tribunal case load would be beneficial.
• Strong written communication skills, with the ability to produce clear case summaries, recommendations and risk assessments.
• Confident using Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and Word.
• Experience using ER case management systems would be beneficial.
• Ability to influence managers and leaders.
• Fair, balanced and values-led, with strong judgement and commitment to consistency.
• Calm and resilient when managing complex, sensitive or high-risk ER matters.
• Strong communicator, able to explain ER and employment law matters clearly and practically.
• Analytical and evidence-led, with the ability to use data, case insight and risk assessment to guide decisions.
• Constructive challenger, able to support better decision-making while maintaining trusted relationships.
• Collaborative, with the ability to work effectively across People, Policy, Legal, Operations and leadership teams.
• Improvement-focused, with willingness to strengthen ER processes, policy application, reporting and manager capability.
• Organised and disciplined, with strong follow-up, case governance and attention to detail.
• Professional and confidential when handling sensitive colleague, legal or business information.

About The Company

Booker is the UK's leading food & drink wholesaler. We are privileged to serve independent retailers, caterers and small businesses, from locations across the country. We operate over 190 cash and carry branches, 8 distribution centres, 5 Best Food Logistics sites, as well as 6 support centre locations across the UK.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) at Booker means that whoever you are and whatever your background, we always want you to feel represented and that you can be yourself at work. In short, we're a place where Everyone's Welcome.

We know life looks a little different for each of us. That's why at Booker and Best, we always welcome conversations about flexible working. Some people are at the start of their careers; some want the freedom to do the things they love. Others are going through life-changing moments like becoming a carer, nearing retirement, adapting to parenthood, or something else. So, talk to us throughout your application about how we may be able to support you.

We can only accept candidates over the age of 18 if the role requires working before 6:15 am or after 9:45 pm or involves working in areas such as the warehouse, beers, wines & spirits, and driving roles.

On the occasions where we have high volumes of applicants, some roles may close earlier than the advertised end date in order for us to manage all of the applicants appropriately. We will only be able to offer individual feedback to those candidates who attend an interview.

*Booker Group is part of Tesco plc, however, is operated separately from the core Tesco business and as such the benefits offered will be different from those offered at Tesco*