Employee Relations Specialist I

Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores•Oklahoma City, OK

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Employee Relations (ER) Specialist will be a key resource for our nearly 30,000 field team members/leaders; the ER Specialist will provide human resources and functional support to these team members and leaders. The Employee Relations Specialist will manage business needs and employee advocacy to find optimal solutions for employee relations matters. The Employee Relations Specialist will work at the operational level to resolve concerns around the work environment, policies, performance management, and workplace conflict.

Requirements

HS Diploma or equivalent required
Knowledge of applicable laws, rules/regulations, procedures, and administration is required
3+ years of professional experience in Employee Relations preferred
HR experience supporting hourly client group required
Proficient in Microsoft Office
Excellent customer service skills, proper phone and email etiquette, ability to multi-task, detail oriented, strong sense of urgency, good time management skills, ability to exercise independent judgment, ability to use tact and persuasion under pressure in extremely controversial and confrontational situations, ability to quickly evaluate alternatives and decide on a plan of action, exceptional follow up skills, excellent interpersonal skills, ability to resolve conflicts and diffuse field employee related issues, concerns, etc.
Requires prolonged sitting, some bending and stooping

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, or similar field of study preferred
HR experience working retail, call center, operations or manufacturing environment preferred
Demonstrated experience in managing complex employee relations matters and investigations

Responsibilities

Champion HR team mindset of using customer-first approach to deliver HR solutions
Act as a liaison between employees and management to support positive and productive communication to assist with problem solving and relationship building
Provide HR guidance to field leadership by determining appropriate resolutions and ensuring follow-up is complete
Guide field leadership through prompt, thorough and fair investigation process on complex employee relations issues and provide recommendations on how to resolve
Engage and manage ADA process with employee and manager to include documenting process, gathering necessary documents, reviewing and interpretating requests, and determining outcomes of an accommodation request.
Consult, provide guidance and make recommendation on corrective and/or disciplinary action related to employee conduct or performance issues correlating with current policies and procedures
Subject matter expert on personnel policies outlined in employee handbook and can interpret those policies for employees and managers
Maintain in-depth knowledge of legal requirements to reduce legal risks and ensure regulatory compliance – PWFA, ADA, USERRA, and laws regulating harassment, discrimination and equal employment opportunity
Works closely with field leadership and employees to improve work relationships, build morale and increase employee retention
Assist Supervisor of HR on new projects or initiatives including project plans, identifying resources, managing project schedules, and communicating to client group
Understand business goals and recommend new solutions, polices, or procedures to help drive continuous improvement
Serves as point of contact for employee questions, grievances, or concerns to include detailed documentation
Use data to recognize trends and offer recommendations such as additional training on specific topics the trends