People Specialist - Employee Relations

Morrisons; Bradford; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a People Specialist in Employee Relations to provide expert advice and support across a dynamic organization. This role is pivotal in ensuring effective resolution of employee relations cases while driving improvements in management capability and employee engagement. You will work closely with various teams, utilizing your expertise in employment law and employee relations processes to enhance operational performance. If you're ready to make a significant impact in a fast-paced environment, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• Expert knowledge of employment law and employee relations processes.
• Experience managing a team and delivering training interventions.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert advice on employee relations cases and processes.
• Drive improvements in employee engagement and operational performance.

Skills

Employment Law

Employee Relations Processes

Analytical Skills

Training Delivery

Stakeholder Influence

Education

Degree in Human Resources or related field

Job description

As a People Specialist - Employee Relations, you’ll play a key role in providing expert advice to managers across the organisation on a wide range of employee relations matters. Acting as an escalation point for our Employee Relations team, you’ll ensure that cases are resolved efficiently, fairly, and in line with both company policy and employment legislation. You’ll also lead on a specialist area, helping to drive improvements in key aspects of employee relations and management capability.

Location Detail: The working pattern for this role is 5 days a week. You will be based in Hilmore House, with 2 days a week expected in head office, and 1 in store.

More About the Role

As part of the Employee Relations team, you’ll deliver specialist advice and support, ensuring our managers are equipped to handle employee relations cases with confidence and consistency. You’ll also contribute to wider people strategies that improve employee engagement, reduce financial risk, and enhance operational performance.

Your accountabilities will include:

1. Acting as a second-level support for escalated employee relations cases, resolving issues efficiently while mitigating commercial risks.
2. Providing expert advice on end-to-end case management, including disciplinary processes, grievances, capability reviews, absence management, and SOSR cases.
3. Driving improvements in the customer experience by assessing call quality and providing feedback to enhance service delivery.
4. Designing and delivering targeted training interventions (e.g., ER Essentials Training, Lunch & Learns) to enhance management capability in employee relations.
5. Leading a specialist area such as case advice, absence management, or investigation support, ensuring best practices and continuous improvement.
6. Collaborating with key stakeholders to deliver absence reduction plans and other targeted interventions that improve business outcomes.
7. Analysing employee relations data to identify trends and provide meaningful insights that inform policy and practice improvements.
8. Supporting complex cases as a remote note-taker or in-person when required, ensuring a consistent and professional approach.
9. Keeping up to date with employment law, legislative changes, and best practices to provide sound and compliant advice.
10. Managing and developing the Employee Relations Advisor Helpline team to ensure high performance and professional growth.

Key relationships: Employee Relations team and the wider Employee Engagement team (including People Services), People teams across the broader business, including the Centres of Excellence, Heads of People, Trade Unions, External bodies such as ACAS, Occupational Health

More About You

To succeed in this role, you’ll need a combination of technical expertise, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to deliver results in a fast-paced, multi-site environment. We're looking for someone who can navigate complex employee relations cases, influence key stakeholders, and drive improvements across the business.

• Expert knowledge of employment law, employee relations processes, and best practices, including the ACAS Code of Practice.
• Strong understanding of Morrisons’ people policies and procedures, applying them effectively in changing and complex situations.
• Exceptional analytical skills to interpret data, identify trends, and develop actionable solutions to improve business outcomes.
• Experience in managing a team of advisors, ideally in a telephone-managed advice service, driving high performance and development.
• Ability to confidently influence and challenge stakeholders to mitigate risk and support operational improvements in employee relations.
• Proven track record of delivering training interventions to enhance management capability in handling employee relations matters.
• Resilience and adaptability, thriving in pressure-filled environments, and balancing competing priorities effectively across multiple sites.