Employee Relations Specialist

Teso Life Inc.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 39,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job summary

TESO Group is seeking an Employee Relations Specialist in New York to support fair and timely ER matters across the organization. You will lead case management, conduct investigations, and advise managers on actions, coaching, and documentation.

Responsibilities include coordinating with HR Operations and area managers, ensuring compliant actions, and contributing to risk reduction through proactive ER practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Administration, Employee/Labor Relations, Psychology, or related field preferred.
• 3–5+ years of progressive HR experience with significant ER responsibilities and investigations.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. employment practices and ER documentation standards.
• SHRM-CP, PHR, or relevant ER certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• ER Case Management: intake through closure with risk classification and documentation.
• Workplace Investigations: plan, interview, collect and organize evidence.
• Corrective Action & Performance Support: guide coaching, warnings, and PIP processes.
• ER Trends & Prevention: analyze data and suggest preventive actions.

Skills

Employee relations

Workplace investigations

Case management

Interviewing

Documentation

Policy interpretation

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business/ER

SHRM-CP/PHR or ER certification

Job description

About TESO Group

Founded in 2017 in New York, TESO Group is an Asian-inspired lifestyle retail company bringing premium Asian products and culture to the U.S. market. With brands including TESO LIFE, TESO X, and TESO Mini, we offer a curated mix of beauty, snacks, home goods, and trendy collectibles-delivering quality, value, and a unique shopping experience.

Position Overview

The Employee Relations (ER) Specialist is responsible for supporting the consistent, fair, and timely management of employee relations matters across the organization. This position serves as a key resource for managers and employees regarding workplace concerns, employee conduct, attendance, performance, corrective action, investigations, policy interpretation, and employment-related issues.

The ER Specialist manages assigned employee relations cases from intake through investigation, recommendation, follow-up, and closure, ensuring matters are appropriately documented and handled in accordance with Company policies, established HR standards, and applicable employment requirements.

The position partners closely with HR Operations, Area HR Managers, Operations leadership, and managers to identify employee relations risks, strengthen management capability, improve workplace practices, and address recurring issues before they develop into larger organizational or compliance concerns.

Job Responsibilities

1. ER Case Management

a. Receive, document, categorize, and assess assigned employee relations matters using established case-management standards.

b. Manage routine and moderately complex ER cases from intake through investigation, recommendation, follow-up, and closure.

c.Maintain clear case ownership, risk classification, timelines, required actions, and supporting documentation.

d.Coordinate with managers, Area HR, HR Operations, and other stakeholders to ensure approved actions are completed.

e.Recognize high-risk or precedent-setting matters early and escape them according to established ER protocols.

2.Workplace Investigations

a. Plan and conduct objective workplace investigations based on defined allegations, scope, and investigation standards.

b. Interview complainants, respondents, witnesses, and other relevant parties using structured and neutral fact-finding techniques.

c. Collect, review, and organize relevant documents, communications, records, and other available evidence.

d. Distinguish allegations, established facts, disputed information, assumptions, and conclusions in investigation documentation.

e. Prepare clear investigation reports and prepare significant harassment, discrimination, retaliation, senior-management, or legally sensitive matters for oversight.

3.Corrective Action & Performance Support

a. Guide managers on coaching, written warnings, PIPs, attendance, conduct, and performance documentation within established standards.

b. Review supporting facts and prior documentation to promote consistent and proportionate corrective-action recommendations.

c. Help managers establish clear expectations, measurable improvement requirements, timelines, and follow-up actions.

d. Monitor approved corrective actions and PIPs for timely completion and appropriate documentation.

e. Escalate final warnings, policy exceptions, precedent-setting actions, or other significant discipline for required approval.

a. Review proposed involuntary terminations for supporting documentation, policy application, consistency, prior actions, and employment risk.

b. Identify potential discrimination, retaliation, leave, accommodation, wage-and-hour, safety, or other protected-activity concerns before action.

c. Prepare a fact-based HR recommendation and confirm required approvals are obtained before implementation.

d. Escalate sensitive, high-risk, or legally complex termination matters to HR leadership and Legal as appropriate.

e. Maintain documentation of the review, recommendation, approvals, and required follow-up in the ER case record.

a. Provide managers with practical guidance on attendance, conduct, performance, documentation, workplace concerns, and routine policy application.

b. Coach managers on preparing for and conducting difficult employee conversations professionally and consistently.

c. Reinforce manager accountability for day-to-day people management rather than transferring routine management responsibilities to HR.

d. Review manager documentation for clarity, factual support, consistency, and appropriate tone.

e. Identify recurring manager capability gaps and recommend targeted coaching, training, or additional oversight.

6.ER Trends & Prevention

a. Analyze ER case data to identify recurring issues, locations, managers, policy concerns, and organizational risk patterns.

b. Distinguish isolated incidents from systemic or repeated employee-relations problems requiring broader intervention.

c. Identify root causes and recommend preventive actions such as manager coaching, training, policy clarification, or process changes.

d. Track implementation and effectiveness of agreed preventive or corrective actions.

e. Provide periodic ER trend and risk insights to HR leadership while maintaining appropriate confidentiality.

Qualifications

• Education : Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Employee/Labor Relations, Psychology, or related field preferred. Equivalent combination of education and relevant HR/ER experience may be considered. SHRM-CP, PHR, or relevant investigation/ER certification preferred.
• Professional Experience : 3-5+ years of progressive HR experience with significant employee relations responsibilities. Hands-on experience conducting workplace investigations required. Experience managing employee complaints, corrective actions, performance issues, and termination reviews. Experience advising managers on employee relations matters. Multi-state or multi-location workforce experience strongly preferred. Retail, hospitality, distribution, or other high-volume operational environment experience preferred. Experience managing a high volume of simultaneous ER cases preferred.
• Knowledge & Skills : Strong working knowledge of U.S. employment practices and employee relations principles. Strong knowledge of workplace investigations and documentation standards. Understanding of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage-and-hour, leave/accommodation, and workplace conduct risks. Ability to conduct effective employee and witness interviews. Strong fact-finding and evidence-analysis capability. Ability to distinguish allegations, facts, assumptions, and conclusions. Strong written investigation and documentation skills. Ability to evaluate employment risk and recognize when escalation is required. Strong organizational and case-management skills. Ability to manage sensitive and emotionally charged workplace matters professionally. Strong verbal and written communication skills. Ability to maintain confidentiality and professional neutrality.
• Core Competencies :
• Employee Relations Judgment: Evaluates workplace matters objectively and determines appropriate action, risk, and escalation.
• Investigation & Fact Finding: Conducts structured investigations and reaches conclusions supported by available evidence.
• Objectivity & Neutrality: Approaches employee concerns without predetermined conclusions and distinguishes factual findings from assumptions.
• Risk Awareness: Recognizes legal, compliance, retaliation, safety, and reputational risks and escalates appropriately.
• Critical Thinking: Evaluates conflicting information, identifies gaps, tests assumptions, and develops defensible recommendations.
• Documentation: Produces clear, factual, organized, and professional ER records and investigation reports.
• Manager Coaching & Influence: Helps managers address employee issues effectively while maintaining appropriate accountability.
• Execution & Follow-Through: Drives ER cases from intake through investigation, action, and closure.
• Communication & De-escalation: Communicates effectively during sensitive or difficult workplace situations and maintains professional composure.
• Confidentiality & Integrity: Handles sensitive employee matters with discretion, fairness, consistency, and professional integrity.

Compensation

• $28-30 per hour
• Quarterly Performance Bonus: This position is eligible for a quarterly performance-based bonus, subject to the eligibility requirements, performance criteria, and terms of the Company's bonus program.
• 401(k) & 401(k) matching - subject to the eligibility requirements