Employee Relations Specialist

Job Summary 
Performs professional Human Resource employee relations related duties under the general direction of the 
Employee Relations Director.  Works closely with the Store Management, General Office Human Resource 
team, and regional employees.  Responsible for some or all of the following functional areas: employee 
relations, employment law compliance, investigations, policy compliance, training, coaching and providing 
human resource and employee relations recommendations and direction to management and employees.  
Consistently provides friendly and engaging customer service to internal and external customers.  Perform 
related work. 

Typical Duties and Responsibilities: 
 Deliver friendly and engaging customer service to internal and external customers by telephone, email, 
and in person.  Model friendly, enthusiastic customer service with an emphasis of taking care of the 
customer. 
 Investigate and resolve complaints, issues and concerns of varying complexity regarding employment 
practices, alleged misconduct, and violation of policy, contract and/or employment law originating from 
various sources. 
 Partner in the resolution of internal investigations. Conduct investigation interviews with pertinent 
individuals, both remotely and in person.  
 Conduct thorough research to identify applicable company policies and practices, and determine when a 
company policy violation has occurred. Recommend action(s) to appropriately resolve the case and 
proactively prevent further occurrence.   
 Coach management to effectively identify, navigate, and resolve employee relations and performance 
management issues.  
 Assist as needed in preparing corrective action documents, performance improvement plans, and 
preparing for employee conversations.  
 Review escalated matters with appropriate stakeholders.   
 Proactively identify opportunities to educate managers on employee relations trends, policy, and law.  
 Provide front-line support in the prevention, resolution, and referral of employee relations issues.  
 Provide policy interpretation, review and advice on violations of rules, regulations, policies, and 
procedures.  Follow up to calls and conducting investigations when needed.  
 Assist and encourage users and customers to make effective use of the HR resources in order to drive 
rapid resolution and empower the customer. Educate and inform customers of the full range of HR 
services available to them.  
 Maintain recordkeeping of all employee relations matters in the employee relations case management 
system.  Monitor and analyze employee relations data to address identified themes. 
 Take ownership of all assigned tasks, initiatives, inquiries, and escalations. Ensure cases are resolved 
and completed efficiently and with a high-level of quality. Follow up and provide feedback, guidance, and 
coaching to customers, stakeholders, and colleagues.   
 Performs other duties as assigned or needed. 

Requirements 
Education: 
 Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources (or related field) or equivalent experience in a formal Human 
Resource position such as Human Resource Generalist, Human Resource Business Partner, Employee 
Relations Specialist, Labor Relations Specialist, or similar in addition to experience listed below.  
Experience: 
 At least two (2) years of direct employee relations experience providing guidance to management and 
researching, investigating and responding to employee member issues and concerns.  
 Demonstrating advanced knowledge of federal, state and local employment (EEO) and labor laws.  
 Demonstrating strong knowledge in the use of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook, etc.) software. 
 Communicating both verbally (on phone, one-on-one, to groups) and in writing (emails, letters, reports, 
presentations) to various audiences (work group, team, company management, external clients, etc.).  
 Utilizing time management skills such as prioritizing, organizing, tracking details and meeting deadlines 
of multiple projects with varying completion dates.  
 Demonstrating success in objectively consulting employees and managers on employee relations issues 
of varied scope and complexity consistent with company protocol.  
 Applying strong conflict resolution skills. 
 Applying in-depth knowledge of federal and state regulations regarding employment practices related to 
the day-to-day management of employees to reduce legal risks and ensure regulatory compliance. 
 Conducting basic research, analyzing data, and preparing recommendations. 
 Demonstrating a professional level of confidentiality handing sensitive applicant, employee and 
company information.  
 Developing and maintaining effective relationships with team members, managers and employees. 
Ability to: 
 Consistently provide friendly and engaging customer service to internal and external customers.   
 Manage a high volume of Employee Relations cases. 
 Maintain a high level of integrity, confidentiality and a very professional attitude. 
 Demonstrate advanced written and oral communication skills, including skill in writing thorough, logical, 
well-written analytical reports to convey complex issues. 
 Travel up to 10% of the time for business purposes (within state and out of state).  
 Multi-task and work in a fast-paced, often stressful, multiple-priority environment. 
 Work independently and efficiently with minimal supervision (self-motivated, take initiative, and drive 
results). 
 Be highly adaptable to change.  
 Respond to calls on urgent matters including after business hours, on weekends and holidays. 
 Perform all tasks with integrity and dependability. 
 Sit, twist upper body and use both hands repetitively for extended periods of time. 
 Perform all tasks with integrity and dependability. 
Additional Requirements: 
 Valid Driver’s License and acceptable Department of Motor Vehicles driving record. 
Machines and Equipment Operated: 
 Office machines (multi-line telephone, computer terminal, copier/scanner, fax machine, laptop, cell 
phone, etc.). 
 Motor vehicle 
Preferred Education, Experience and/or Credentials: 
 Multi-state experience, including specific experience with California, Washington and Oregon. 
 Experience providing virtual Human Resources support to employees in multiple locations. 
 Two (2) or more years of direct experience conducting investigations of harassment, discrimination and 
retaliation.  
 Experience working in a customer service environment.  
 Experience using a case management system. 
 PHR/SPHR and SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP certifications. 

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature of work performed by the employee(s) 
assigned to this job.  All employees must comply with Company policies and applicable laws.  The 
responsibilities, duties and qualifications required of personnel may vary.