Employee Relations Consultant

Context

The HR Directorate at this institution, is a service-driven function, working closely alongside our six academic Schools and our Professional Services Directorates to understand and collaborate on their priorities, opportunities, and challenges. Operating at strategic and operational levels, within a rapidly changing political, economic, and legal context, the HR Directorate aims to provide innovative and practical solutions, thereby helping managers to achieve their aims and objectives.

Our culture and interactions with each other are underpinned by our values, and we continue to seek out ways to demonstrate our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion by removing barriers and promoting the diversity of our community.

Following a recent merger, the organisation is embarking on a period of integration of our Professional Services functions. Initial steps towards the integration of the HR Directorate will include the establishment of a dedicated Employee Relations & Policy Team. This new team will take the lead on complex HR casework, and support collective trade union relations. The Team will also provide strategic and operational expertise on employment policy formulation, best practice, and employment law. This will include taking a leading role in developing and implementing integrated HR policies, procedures, and related resources for the newly integrated institution.

Job Purpose

As part of dedicated Employee Relations Team, the postholder will provide complex employee relations advice as a subject matter expert to people managers across the newly integrated institution, supporting the organisation to minimise and resolve employee relations matters efficiently and in line with its policies and procedures. They will also ensure employee relations issues and trends are measured, reported on, analysed, and appropriate continuous improvement measures implemented.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Act as first line of contact and subject matter expert in the HR Team for any complex people management issues, working closely with people managers on the management and resolution of individual employee relations cases. This will include, for example, providing HR support at investigation and hearing stage.

• Guide, coach, and develop people managers to manage employee relations issues using the University’s policies and procedures, and in line with HR best practice.

• Advise on and positively encourage the application of best practice in employment matters with regard to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

• Contribute to the development of good practice in relation to case management, conflict resolution and mediation.

• Liaise with specialist legal counsel as appropriate.

• Contribute to preparation for and coordination of employment tribunals and associated legal fora. Participate at employment tribunals, where appropriate.

• In collaboration with the Employee Relations Manager, Organisational Development Team, and other HR colleagues, evaluate and identify case risk, and advise senior leadership and management on the appropriate interventions for managing risks identified.

• Design and implement/deliver a variety of support mechanisms (e.g., training resources and guides, website resources) to maximise support available to the HR Team, and staff and managers involved in processes.

• In collaboration with colleagues in the Employee Relations & Policy Team, analyse trends from employee relations casework and employment case law to identify areas of potential risk, and make recommendations for policy changes, updates or training requirements.

• Work closely with Organisational Development, and other members of the HR Senior Team, in providing support with the implementation of change programmes that impact the organisation and its staff, ensuring both consistency and best practice are followed.

• Advise on and positively encourage the application of best practice in employment matters with regard to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

• Contribute to the professional development of the Employee Relations & Policy Team, and wider Directorate, through your functional expertise.

• Support collective trade union relations, for example by contributing to consultation and negotiation processes with the University’s recognised trade unions.

• Co-ordinate responses to surveys, e.g. sector benchmarking.

• Participate in HR, organisational , and HEI working groups as required.

Additional information

• The post holder must at all times carry out their responsibilities with due regard to the University’s Equal Opportunities Statement.

• The post holder must accept responsibility for ensuring that the policies and procedures relating to Health and Safety in the workplace are adhered to at all times.

• The post holder must respect the confidentiality of data stored electronically and by other means in line with General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

• The culture at the organisation is built on our shared core values, which means that all employees are expected to behave according to our values: “We care. We learn. We act.”

• At the organisation, subject to agreement, relevant Professional Services roles may work in a hybrid way, involving a mixture of working on campus and at home each week. The organisation’s vision for hybrid working is:

“To provide a framework for developing and implementing working practices that will enable colleagues to work efficiently and seamlessly, maintaining a high-quality service to students and other stakeholders, and bringing them some additional flexibility, where appropriate. Hybrid working gives us the opportunity to acknowledge the importance of promoting a balanced lifestyle, reinforce the importance of collaboration, and modernise how we use the workplace.”

• Where a hybrid working arrangement can be accommodated, it is expected that colleagues will spend the majority (at least 60%) of their usual working time on campus each week. Specific details will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate. A hybrid working arrangement will not detract from any comprehensive induction, that will include relevant on-site activities.

• Regardless of where colleagues are working, The organisations premises will be their primary and contractual place of work. This organisation is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in all its activities, processes, and culture for our whole community, including staff, students and visitors.

The above list is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake such duties as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post. All members of staff are required to be professional, co-operative and flexible in line with the needs of the post.

Job descriptions should be regularly reviewed and at least prior to the annual appraisal, if applicable or on a regular basis to ensure they are an accurate representation of the post.

Sustainable Development

The organisation is committed to a policy of best practice to assist in building a sustainable way of life by taking a positive, solutions-orientated approach. All post holders are encouraged to contribute through their roles to improving the environment for the organisation and the wider community.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement (EDI)

The organisation is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in all its activities, processes, and culture for our whole community, including staff, students and visitors.

The organisation will meet its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 in recruitment and seek to eliminate discrimination on the basis of age, caring responsibilities, disability, gender identity, gender reassignment, marital status, nationality, pregnancy, race and ethnic origin, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation and socio-economic background.

Selection and promotion criteria are kept under review to ensure that individuals are treated on the basis of the job requirements and on their relevant personal merits; and are not disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable. The organisation operates a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants.