Employee Relations Manager

JOB SUMMARY

Employee Relations Manager oversees both employee relations and learning and development activities within an organization. This role is a senior leadership position focused on building a positive work environment, fostering employee growth, and ensuring compliance with labor laws and regulations. They are responsible for developing and implementing strategies for employee relations, training, and development.

CLASSIFICATION: Exempt/Full-Time

SHIFT: Monday - Friday, 8 am - 5pm

COMPENSATION:  $85,000 - $115,000/year

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Employee Relations/ Conducting Investigations:

• Lead and manage all internal investigations related to employee relations matters, including but not limited to harassment, discrimination, retaliation, ethics violations, policy breaches, workplace misconduct, and other general employee concerns across corporate and on-site teams. 
• Develop comprehensive investigation plans, including identifying relevant witnesses, gathering evidence, and conducting impartial interviews. 
• Maintain detailed and accurate documentation of all investigations, investigation length, findings, and resolutions. 
• Provide clear, concise, and defensible investigation reports with recommendations for appropriate corrective actions/next steps
• Ensure all investigations are conducted thoroughly, objectively, and in a timely manner, adhering to company policies and legal requirements. 
• Partner with leadership on investigation findings and recommend next steps. 
• Serve as a primary point of contact for employees and managers regarding workplace concerns, providing guidance and support. 

Best Practices and Policy Implementation:

• Develop, implement, and continuously improve best practices for employee concern reporting, investigations and conflict resolution processes. 
• Stay current with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations (e.g., Title VII, ADA, FMLA, FLSA, etc.) to ensure company compliance and mitigate legal risks. 
• Partner with Legal as needed on complex cases or potential litigation. 
• Contribute to the development and revision of HR policies and procedures related to employee conduct, grievance processes, and disciplinary actions. 
• Compile regular ER reporting to showcase trends, improvements, and areas of growth for Client. Coach leaders on trends and potential improvements. 
• In partnership with VPs and Regionals, facilitate mediation and conflict resolution sessions to address employee disputes and foster positive working relationships. 
• Partner with Executive Leadership regularly to discuss ER trends. Proactively identify and address potential employee relations issues to prevent escalation. 

Client Support:

• Be a champion for compliance and employee relations, ensuring best practices are outlined, clear and available to teams. 
• In collaboration with HRIS, design and regularly produce ER insights and analysis for HR Team and Client leadership. 
• Highlight and root-cause ER trends, show successes, areas for improvement, and/or risks in the employee experience, and make recommended mitigation steps. 
• In collaboration with HR team, deliver educational training for managers and employees on topics such as effective communication, conflict resolution, respectful workplace conduct, and investigation protocols as needed. 
• Guide proper disciplinary actions and performance management techniques. 
• Collaborate with HR Team to implement consistent and fair application of company policies. 
• Provide strategic insights and recommendations to senior leadership on trends and patterns in employee relations issues. 

Learning and Development: 

• Develop and deliver learning and development programs on a broad range of topics, including employee relations, performance management, and leadership.? 
• Develop training and development initiatives and strategies to promote a positive work environment of belonging, motivation, and satisfaction for all employees. (Employee Engagement/Retention) 
• Identifying learning needs and designing appropriate training solutions.? 
• Partnering with other HR functions to integrate learning and development into the organization's broader HR strategy.? 
• Staying up-to-date on best practices in learning and development and employee relations.? 
• Oversees performance review platform and process. Ensures that performance reviews are conducted consistently and effectively. 
• Integrates professional development initiatives throughout the performance management process to promote and enhance employee growth and development. 
• Working with Department heads and Senior Leadership, establishes and maintains performance management parameters to ensure consistent and fair performance reviews. Ensures that performance criteria and guides are available to managers and supervisors. 

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field; equivalent experience may be accepted 7-9 years of progressive experience in Employee Relations, with a strong emphasis on conducting complex investigations, preferably within a property management or similarly fast-paced environment. 
• Strong expertise in employment law, including federal, state, and local regulations. 
• Must have strong CA and multi-state employment law knowledge.
• Proven ability to conduct fair, thorough, and confidential investigations with a high degree of integrity and discretion. 
• Proficiency in HRIS systems (specifically Paylocity) and Microsoft Office Suite. 

Preferred

• Certifications such as PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, or CEI (Certified Employee Investigator) are a plus.
• Bilingual or multilingual skills
• Self-motivated and dedicated; able to work and problem-solve independently 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; needs to communicate well with internal teams and external business partners 
• Organized and detail-oriented