Employee Relations Partner

Gusto; Colorado; Hybrid; USD 88,000 - 118,000; Full time

Job summary

Gusto, a leading people platform, seeks an Employee Relations Partner to advise frontline managers and senior leaders on high-stakes employee matters. The role emphasizes sound judgment, risk mitigation, and alignment with People Team objectives.

You will drive performance enablement, inclusivity, and respect, partnering across Legal and People Partners to resolve sensitive issues and strengthen organizational risk management. AI tools usage is encouraged where appropriate.

Qualifications

• Minimum 4 years in an HR Generalist role or 2 years in Employee Relations/HRBP.
• Proven experience handling complex, sensitive ER matters with discretion.
• Ability to balance stakeholder interests with fairness and equity.

Responsibilities

• Manage addressing employee concerns, conflicts, and investigations with action plans and mediation.
• Coach managers on performance expectations, feedback, and development; support offboarding.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of HR regulations and ensure policy compliance.
• Partner with Legal and People Partners to assess risk and determine actions on escalated cases.
• Navigate ambiguous, high-stakes situations with sound judgment and balance risk and employee experience.
• Maintain legally defensible documentation across ER cases.

Skills

HR Generalist

Employee Relations

HR Business Partner

Investigations

Coaching

Communication

Analytical skills

Legal awareness

Job description

About Gusto

At Gusto, we're on a mission to grow the small business economy. We handle the hard stuff — payroll, health insurance, 401(k)s, and HR — so owners can focus on their craft and their customers. With teams in Denver, San Francisco, and New York, we support more than 500,000 small businesses nationwide and are building a workplace that reflects the people we serve.

All full-time employees receive competitive base pay, benefits, and equity (RSUs) — because everyone who helps build Gusto should share in its success. Offer amounts are determined by role, level, and location. Learn more about our Total Rewards philosophy.

AI is a fundamental part of how work gets done at Gusto. We expect all team members to actively engage with AI tools relevant to their role and grow their fluency as the technology evolves. AI experience requirements vary by role and will be assessed during the interview process.

Gusto is seeking a dynamic and experienced HR professional to take on a unique and critical role within our organization. As an Employee Relations Partner, you will serve as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to frontline managers and skip-levels, with a particular focus on navigating complex, high-stakes employee matters with sound judgment and care. This role sits at the intersection of people advocacy and organizational risk. You'll regularly partner with Legal, People Partners, and business leadership to resolve sensitive workplace issues, high-risk performance cases, and make judgment calls that meaningfully impact both individuals and the business.

This role is a key driver in fostering a culture of performance enablement, inclusivity, and respect within the Gusto community; ultimately enabling Gusto to live into its promise of being the global People Platform. As the People Team continues to build and grow our shared services model, the Employee Relations Partners will be key players within the model and provide 1:1 connection between the business and People Team.

AI-forward mindset. You thoughtfully use AI to work more effectively—synthesizing information, identifying patterns, drafting communications, and reducing administrative work—while applying sound judgment, protecting sensitive employee information, and keeping humans at the center of consequential decisions. You’re curious about how AI can improve Employee Relations work and willing to experiment within appropriate guidelines.

Here’s what you’ll do day-to-day:

• Manage all aspects of addressing employee concerns, workplace conflict resolution, and promoting a harmonious and inclusive work environment through investigations, developing disciplinary action plans, and mediating conversations.

• Coach and support managers in setting clear performance expectations, providing regular feedback, and addressing development needs to foster an environment of continuous improvement. Facilitate implementation of performance management plans and offboarding.

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of HR regulations and ensure managers' adherence to Gusto policies and legal requirements.

• Partner closely with Legal and People Partners to assess organizational risk and determine appropriate courses of action on escalated cases.

• Navigate ambiguous, high-stakes employee situations with sound judgment, balancing employee experience with business and legal risk.

• Maintain thorough and legally defensible documentation across all ER cases, ensuring consistency and protecting the organization.

• Identify patterns across cases and surface systemic risks to People leadership before they escalte.

Here’s what we're looking for:

• Proven experience in HR, with a minimum of 4 years in an HR Generalist role or 2 years in an Employee Relations or HR Business Partner role, separate from any other HR-related work experience (e.g. recruiting, talent development, etc.).

• Demonstrated experience handling complex, sensitive ER matters with discretion, sound judgment, and composure under pressure.

• Ability to hold multiple stakeholder interests simultaneously while keeping fairness and equity at the center.

• Track record of cross-functional collaboration with Legal teams on escalated employee issues.

• Exceptional knowledge of HR best practices, employment laws, and industry trends.

• Strong coaching and mentoring skills with the ability to inspire and guide managers effectively.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities, facilitating successful collaboration with diverse teams.

• Demonstrated analytical skills to interpret ER metrics and propose actionable insights.

Nice to have:

• Formal education or training in interpersonal communication skills such as, facilitated conversation or mediations, non-violent communication, counseling, coaching, etc.

• Experience working in a globally distributed company.

Our cash compensation amount for this role is $88,000 - $98,000 per year in Denver, and $105,000 - $118,000 per year for San Francisco & New York. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate location, experience and expertise and may vary from the amounts listed above.

Gusto has physical office spaces in Denver, San Francisco, and New York City. Employees who are based in those locations will be expected to work from the office on designated days approximately 2-3 days per week (or more depending on role). The same office expectations apply to all Symmetry roles, Gusto's subsidiary, whose physical office is in Scottsdale.

Note: The San Francisco office expectations encompass both the San Francisco and San Jose metro areas.

When approved to work from a location other than a Gusto office, a secure, reliable, and consistent internet connection is required. This includes non-office days for hybrid employees.

Our customers come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it makes our company stronger. If you share our values and our enthusiasm for small businesses, you will find a home at Gusto.

Gusto is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. Gusto considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Gusto is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. We want to see our candidates perform to the best of their ability. If you require a medical or religious accommodation at any time throughout your candidate journey, please fill out this form and a member of our team will get in touch with you.

Gusto takes security and protection of your personal information very seriously. Please review our Fraudulent Activity Disclaimer.

Personal information collected and processed as part of your Gusto application will be subject to Gusto's Applicant Privacy Notice.