Employment Relations Specialist

Who are we?

First Customer Contact is part of FirstGroup, the largest rail operator in the UK and second largest bus operator in the UK outside London. FirstGroup operates services throughout the UK and Ireland, with over 30,000 employees providing services that make travel smoother and life easier. FirstGroup works hard to reduce its impact on the environment, introducing cleaner and more environmentally responsible methods of transport.

We are continually seeking ways in which to improve the experience for our customers. Our Customer Contact Centre uses industry leading systems to deliver excellent customer service and ensure that requests are speedily and effectively resolved.

Our delivery teams are responsible for a variety of customer support matters which range from processing customer compensation claims to complaints handling, group bookings and assisted/special services, quality assurance and fraud prevention and detection and retails sales to individuals and corporates.

About the job

As an Employment Relations Specialist you will triage ER cases, be the central point of contact for ER cases i.e. inquiries relating to Bullying, Harassment, Discrimination, and Conduct. By providing expert guidance on complex employee relations matters. You\\\’ll work collaboratively to manage risk, ensure compliance, and foster a positive working environment. Your work will help maintain a respectful, safe, and inclusive workplace culture that aligns with FCC\\\’s company values and legal obligations.

You will also be responsible for collating and preparing the figures for the monthly HR and operations meetings, payroll reporting and ensuring that HR business partners with key stakeholders.

Your main responsibilities

• Provide practical, solutions-focused guidance to managers on employee relations matters, including performance management, absence, conduct, grievance, and policy interpretation, ensuring advice is consistent with company policies and employment law.
• Manage employee relations casework (disciplinary, grievance, capability, absence management etc.), including co-ordinating meetings, preparing documentation, gathering evidence, liaising with internal stakeholders, and ensuring accurate, GDPR-compliant record keeping.
• Demonstrate a strong working knowledge of employment law, applying it effectively to casework and policy advice, and keeping abreast of legal updates to ensure compliance.
• Ensure ER policies, practices and outcomes align with employment law and organisational values.
• Support change initiatives and organisational projects from an ER perspective.
• Provide administrative and procedural support for ER processes, including minute-taking at formal meetings and hearings, scheduling and co-ordinating case-related meetings, and ensuring consistent documentation standards are maintained.
• Support the operational processing of employee lifecycle activities, including family-friendly, flexible working requests, probation reviews, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Analyse people data and ER trends, such as ER cases, absence patterns, and workforce metrics. Support the HT Team in using engagement survey insights and data to drive pro-active improvements.
• Support the HR Data Analyst Assistant and HR Manager with cyclical people processes, such as the annual pay review and reward initiatives, by co-ordinating communications, preparing supporting data, and ensuring consistency in application across teams

You\\\’ll need to be

• Must be proficient in Workday dashboards, and Workday reporting (calculated fields, discovery boards, dashboards, and composite reports).
• Must have experience being a process owner/developer for Workday changes, ensuring accurate updates for existing employees (job changes, promotions, contract amendments, etc.)
• Must have experience collaborating with key stakeholders to cleanse and prepare people data, enabling accurate and effective analysis
• Develop and implement ER strategies that align with organisational goals and objectives
• Ensuring compliance with employment laws and best practices to achieve optimal outcomes in all ER matters.
• Managing and resolving complex ER cases, including disciplinaries, grievances, redundancies, and restructures.
• Excellent organisation skills, negotiation skills and ability to prioritise own work and Strong attention to detail.
• Excellent written, problem solving, listening and nonverbal and verbal communication skills. (soft skills)
• Experience of building internal relationships
• Computer literacy, must be able to easily operate in terms of checking and maintaining data and responding to emails utilising chat services
• Microsoft Technologies – Office 365, Zoom,Teams etc
• Must have experience working as a HR Generalist.
• Personable, professional, and confident working in pressured situations.
• Excellent communicator with a proactive, solutions-driven mindset.

As a minimum, you will need to have

• Masters or Degree in HR, Law, or a related field-or extensive professional experience
• Background inHR Consultancy, ER Advisory or employment law
• Strong HR Advisor Experience
• Experience within data and data analytics within the people department

About the location

Sheffield city centre. Ten minutes\\\’ walk from Sheffield Station. Travel to other UK locations as appropriate.

Working pattern

Monday – Friday 8:00am – 18:00pm
37.5 hours per week

The Reward

We believe great work deserves great rewards. That\\\’s why we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your lifestyle, well-being, and future:

• Competitive Pay – We offer a salary that reflects your skills, experience, and the valuable contribution you\\\’ll make to our team.
• Free Bus Travel – Complimentary travel on FirstGroup buses for you after 1 month of service.
• Discounted Train Travel – Enjoy all day travel for you and your family for as little as £6 across Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, TPE (from £10) and Lumo after 6 months of service
• Generous Holiday Allowance – 25 days of annual leave plus public holidays
• Pension Scheme – Contributory pension plan with the opportunity to invest in discounted FirstGroup shares through a SAYE scheme
• First Xclusives Discount Scheme – Unlock over 3,000 deals on high street brands, cinema tickets, flights, holidays, and more
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme – Confidential support whenever you need it, because your wellbeing matters.

We all belong at First Customer Contact. FirstGroup\\\’s vision is to provide an inclusive environment for all colleagues, across its group of businesses, ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to access meaningful employment.

We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA+, ethnicity, religion, and disability. We maintain a zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent.

We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive.

We review all roles and job descriptions to ensure they are accessible and, where possible, we support and provide flexible working options; we recommend that you refer to each vacancy description for further details.

If you require additional support to complete your application due to a disability or neurodivergent condition, for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, please follow the links below. We encourage you to share any additional needs you may require so we can provide a fair and equal process for all who apply.