Employee Relations Associate/Senior Associate

Center for Employment Opportunities•New York, NY

9h•$62,500 - $79,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Employee Relations Associate works closely with the Deputy Director, Legal and Compliance to ensure that employees understand their rights and CEO’s responsibilities with respect to their employment. The Employee Relations Associate is responsible for CEO’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and/or any local or state disability rights that exceed the federal requirements. This role partners with employees, participants, managers, Employee Experience and Legal and Compliance teams to resolve workplace concerns, conduct interviews, and support policy and legal compliance while maintaining confidentiality. The Senior Associate fully leads the employee relations process for creating content and delivering quality training to staff and managers; determining potential solutions to reasonable accommodation requests, partnering directly with staff & managers on implementation, leading mid-high level investigations, and performance management. They operate with less supervision, proactively utilizing and consulting their manager as needed on matters of increasing complexity, regularly exercising discretion and independent judgment. As part of our mission, we strongly encourage individuals who have lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system to apply for this role.

Requirements

Strong verbal and written communication skills, specifically with written memos.
Working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws.
Proficiency in listening and striving to understand diverse perspectives.
Strong interpersonal skills; ability to communicate and build relationships with stakeholders of all levels.
Proactive in identifying challenges and facilitating solutions.
Sound judgment and confidentiality with sensitive and confidential information.
Associate: 2+ years in Human Resources field such as employee relations or labor relations (experience in employee relations and/or investigations preferred).
Senior Associate: 3+ years of experience in employee relations and investigations, with concrete experience and increasing leadership in employee relations and investigations.

Nice To Haves

Experience with facilitation preferred (interest in learning how to facilitate group trainings and presentations required).
Strong organizational skills and detail orientation; able to juggle leadership of numerous projects and flexibility to support quick response and shifting course when needed.

Responsibilities

Manage requests for reasonable accommodations, collaborating with Benefits & Well-Being & Injuries teams to ensure compliance with leave regulations.
Comply with relevant State and/or Federal laws regarding the interactive process, documentation and determinations for reasonable accommodations.
Support and facilitate low- to mid-level internal investigations in response to employee relations concerns and reports.
Analyze investigation findings and provide recommendations for follow-up actions with the Legal & Compliance team and leadership.
Conduct employee relations investigations and interview relevant parties to gather information, assess concerns, and support resolution efforts.
Draft clear, detailed, and comprehensive reports documenting investigation findings and determinations, and recommended resolutions of the issues raised.
Conduct close-out meetings to share investigations findings and next steps with complainants, leadership, and involved parties.
Manage low-level Performance Management issues (e.g., time and attendance, documentation issues).
Facilitate and support ER training with the support of Senior Associate & DED/Manager.
Perform needs assessment for employment trainings, determine best means of delivery, and design and conduct engaging employee relations trainings.
Serve as point person on relevant employment relations education and training inquiries and requests.
Work with managers and Program Support to prioritize trainings.
Update training materials based on legal requirements, internal policies, and research.
Ensure that the national training calendar is consistently updated.
Create an open-communication climate with employees to gather feedback and suggestions for improvements and potential trainings.
Partner with the Employee Experience team in analysis, distribution, and action planning.
Facilitate positive, energizing, and inviting learning environments.
Ensure training meets objectives and evaluate how learning impacts performance or behavioral change; develop related quizzes or other materials for knowledge checks.
Track and analyze employee relations related information and data to support the organization in understanding where there is potential need for additional training, supports, and/or resources.
Utilize data and best practices to enhance and continuously refine trainings.
Identify areas for improvement for employees during training, providing additional support as needed, reporting observations to supervisors, and systematizing common additional support needs.
Provide general support to Deputy Director, L&C and EX Team, if and as needed.
Perform additional related duties and special projects as assigned by Deputy Director, L&C.
For Senior Associate: Lead the employee relations process for creating content and delivering quality training to staff and managers.
For Senior Associate: Determine potential solutions to reasonable accommodation requests, partnering directly with staff & managers on implementation.
For Senior Associate: Lead mid-high level investigations and performance management.
For Senior Associate: Review and offer feedback and conflict resolution.
For Senior Associate: Handle Compensation and Benefits.