Senior Employee Relations Officer

First Mid Bank & Trust; Mattoon (IL); On-site; USD 88,000 - 132,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental & vision with HSA match

401(k) with employer match + ESPP

Generous PTO & holidays

Tuition reimbursement & bonuses

Job summary

First Mid Bancshares, Inc. seeks a Senior Employee Relations Officer in Mattoon, IL. You will serve as the primary contact for complex employee relations matters, guiding managers, investigating issues, and coordinating with legal counsel to ensure compliant resolutions.

You will analyze turnover data, prepare actionable reports, and drive retention initiatives while maintaining policy standards and a positive work environment across all business units.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 7+ years HR experience with employee relations focus.
• PHR/SPHR or CP/SCP certification preferred.
• Willing to travel up to 20% as needed for investigations/meetings.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary contact for employee relations across business units.
• Coach managers on performance, discipline, and separations.
• Draft responses for EEOC, DOL, and legal claims for CHRO approval.
• Lead workplace investigations and resolve complex employee relations issues.
• Track turnover and analyze data to improve retention.
• Prepare reports and partner with HR to improve engagement.
• Lead governance on employee issues and ensure proper documentation.

Skills

Labor laws knowledge

Strong writing

MS Office proficient

HRIS experience

Education

Bachelor's degree

HR experience 7+ years

PHR/SPHR or CP/SCP preferred

Job description

Position: Senior Employee Relations Officer

Location: Mattoon, IL

Job Id: 4887

# of Openings: 0

Pay Range: $88,100 - $132,000 per hour

At First Mid, base salary is one component of our Total Rewards program. Exact compensation is determined by factors such as (but not limited to) education, skills, internal equity, and experience. This position offers additional compensation in the form of discretionary short-term incentives (i.e. bonus, incentives, and/or commission). Benefits for this role include comprehensive healthcare, well-being benefits, paid family leave as well as generous paid time off. Total Rewards also include banking perks, tuition reimbursement, an Employee Stock Purchase Plan, and a 401K plan with company match. Incentives and benefits are subject to eligibility requirements.

The Senior Employee Relations Officer will serve as the primary contact for highly complex and sensitive employee relations matters across various business units and drive towards solutions and successful outcomes that align with the Bank's culture, and values. This position will analyze and trend data metrics to identify areas of opportunity that supports a positive work environment.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for employee relations matters, providing guidance, coaching, and support to managers in handling performance management, employee discipline, and separation processes.
• Responsible for providing guidance to managers for disciplinary coaching matters and reviewing and editing all disciplinary action documentation.
• Create effective and meaningful relationships with managers throughout the organizations, across all business lines, by proactively scheduling one-on-one time to understand their challenges and concerns with their team members.
• Coordinate with legal counsel, investigate and draft responses for EEOC, DOL and legal claims for the Chief Human Resources Officer's final approval.
• Escalate issues and matters to the Chief Human Resources Officer with recommendations as appropriate.
• Lead workplace investigations and resolve a range of employee relations concerns, including workplace conflicts, harassment, discrimination and/or retaliation complaints, and other violations of work rules.
• Manage the employee relations hotline to review and track case progress, conduct investigatory interviews while ensuring compliance with company policy as well as legal requirements, collect and analyze relevant evidence, write investigation summaries, and deliver debriefs with relevant individuals.
• Track and analyze employee turnover data to identify trends, recurring concerns, and opportunities to improve retention.
• Conduct confidential exit interviews, document feedback, and assess common reasons for employee departures.
• Prepare reports summarizing findings and partner with Human Resources and management to recommend actions that improve employee engagement, address workplace concerns, and reduce preventable turnover.
• Proactively identify and address potential employee relations issues and develop preventive measures. Partner with senior management to coach and advise supervisors on employee relations, performance management, conflict resolution, and employee engagement. Provide guidance that strengthens supervisory skills, promotes consistent application of company policies, and supports a positive work environment.
• Lead all governance on employee issues and exits, ensuring proper documentation and adherence to practices.
• Stay updated on labor laws, regulations, and industry trends related to employee relations, making recommendations for policy and program enhancements.
• Collaborate with legal counsel on employment-related matters, including agency investigations, and employment litigation matters to ensure compliance with laws and regulations.
• Develop and deliver leadership training on best practices for employee relations and investigation processes.
• Coordination of unemployment claims with the vendor and attend unemployment hearings.
• Review results of performance evaluations to assist leadership with coaching or performance improvement plans. Provide follow up reports to the Chief Human Resources Officer.
• Lead and/or assist with special human resource projects.
• Support other functions within the Human Resources department as needed.

Qualifications

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 7 + years of related experience or HR generalist experience with demonstrated employee relations experience required.
• PHR/SPHR or CP/SCP certification is preferred.
• Must be willing to travel as needed for investigations and/or meetings (anticipated to be less than 20% of the time).

Skills:

• Knowledge of current federal and state labor laws and regulations including, but not limited to Title VII, EEOC, FLSA.
• Strong writing skills that capture the necessary documentation of employee relations.
• Strong computer skills including Microsoft Office suite with intermediate Excel skills, and experience with HRIS systems.
• This role requires the use of sound judgement to mitigate risk and weigh the importance and validity of information to form fact-based opinions, solve problems, and make formal recommendations.

Total Rewards:

• Competitive health, dental & vision coverage with HSA match
• 401(k) with employer match + Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Generous PTO, paid holidays & parental leave
• Tuition reimbursement & performance-based bonuses
• Visit our Total Rewards page to see our full list of benefits

First Mid Bancshares, Inc., is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, or any other applicable federal or state-protected classification.

THIS JOB DESCRIPTION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A CONTRACT FOR EMPLOYMENT

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