People Advisor (12 Month FTC)

Pret A Manger; Greater London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a People Advisor to enhance HR support across its UK operations. This role involves providing expert HR advice, managing employee relations, and ensuring compliance with UK employment law. You will collaborate with management to foster a positive work environment and drive strategic HR initiatives. Join a forward-thinking company that values kindness and community, and be part of a team that is committed to making a difference. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a vibrant workplace while developing your HR expertise.

Qualifications

• Experience in drafting employee relations and HR correspondence.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law is essential.

Responsibilities

• Provide HR advice to shop teams and manage employee relations issues.
• Support succession planning and analyze employee relations trends.

Skills

UK employment law

Employee relations correspondence

Organizational skills

Relationship-building

Communication skills

Customer service experience

IT literacy

Tools

Workday

Job description

Making days (and careers) brighter

We’re proud to be a global business. And our mission is simple, really: to make every day a little bit brighter for our wonderful customers, teams and communities. We believe in being kind, generous and honest. That’s why, at the end of each night, we donate as much of our unsold food as possible to those who need it most. And why we support those experiencing homelessness through The Pret Foundation.

There’s more to the story, of course. But now, let’s talk about you, the company and the job…

About Pret

Pret is an international on-the-go food and drink retailer founded in 1986. Our purpose is to make every day a little bit brighter, through organic coffee, freshly prepared food, and exceptional customer service to millions of people. Pret runs hundreds of shops across the UK, France, USA, and Hong Kong, with additional shops run by franchise partners around the world.

Pret is transforming from a bricks-and-mortar focused retailer to a truly customer-centric digital business with a leading consumer brand that aims to stand for more than just ‘freshly made, healthy food, to go’. We’re aiming to better understand our customers and their preferences, so now is an exciting time to join us.

The Role

The role of the People Advisor is to work in partnership with the People Business Partner(s) to ensure excellent and timely HR advice to shops and employees within the UK. The People Advisor offers extensive HR support to the UK covering a wide range of people-related activities. The People Advisor reports to the People Business Partner.

Responsibilities include:

1. Providing consistent, legally compliant, and commercial HR advice to Pret’s Retail Operators.
2. Offering comprehensive employee relations advice to Managers and employees in line with Pret’s People guidelines.
3. Managing and reviewing HR processes, producing employment materials and correspondence to a high standard.
4. Working with the People Coordinator to provide accurate, proactive, and efficient HR administration, ensuring all People data is accurate and delivered on time.
5. Supporting the People Business Partners with strategic initiatives such as succession planning, employee happiness, People Score Card, and coaching.

Responsibilities

• Supporting Pret’s General Counsel with HR guidelines to ensure they are up-to-date and relevant.
• Providing first-line advice to shop teams, coaching GMs and Ops on conduct, performance, sickness, and grievances.
• Pulling Visa Expiry reports and contacting employees to obtain right-to-work documents in a timely manner, escalating as necessary.
• Updating visa and passport information and uploading documents onto the system.
• Escalating employee relations issues to the PBP and Ops team when required.
• Supporting Managers with formal meetings, note-taking, and general support.
• Managing sickness absence cases, including occupational health referrals and wellbeing meetings.
• Advising on all types of leave, including sabbatical, adoption, parental, and flexible work options.
• Monitoring and updating the Tribunal Tracker, liaising with legal advisors as necessary.
• Supporting succession planning, family tree reporting, and analyzing ER cases and trends.
• Preparing People initiatives, attending regional meetings, and reviewing current people processes.
• Managing projects aligned with the annual HR plan, providing updates.
• Reviewing the monthly People Scorecard and discussing key trends with the team.
• Running in-house HR training for AMs and GMs and creating learning events for shop managers.
• Supporting a workplace free from discrimination and harassment, and reporting concerns immediately.
• Managing production of Pay Review letters and updating Family Tree records.
• Attending Buddy Days and supporting wider People Team initiatives.
• Continuously developing UK employment law knowledge through ongoing training.

Skills and Experience

• Experience in drafting ER and HR correspondence.
• Excellent knowledge of UK employment law.
• Organized, with ability to work to deadlines.
• Ability to work collaboratively and independently.
• Strong relationship-building skills with key stakeholders.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proven customer service experience.
• Diplomacy and confidentiality in handling sensitive information.
• IT literate, experience with ‘Workday’ desirable.

Pret Behaviours

• Clear communication
• Team working
• Passion
• Open to change
• Great execution skills