Senior Employee Relations Specialist

Cushman & Wakefield

7d • $85,000 - $100,000

About The Position

The Senior Employee Relations Specialist is responsible for the delivery of employee relations governance and consulting services to designated internal clients on ER matters. Key skills required to be successful in this role are exceptional communication skills—especially in a virtual environment, strong connection and relationship skills, action orientation and responsive mindset, and the ability to write and document issues with clarity and precision. This role leverages deep knowledge of Canadian federal and provincial jurisdictions and local leave requirements to ensure consistent and compliant application of company policies; it reports to the ER Manager for the service line.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in HR or related area, or equivalent experience
• Experience with Canadian employment law strongly preferred
• Spanish language skills strongly preferred, but not required
• 5+ years of progressive ER or HR Generalist experience
• PHR or SPHR designation preferred
• Seasoned and proven skills in managing difficult ER situations, conflict management, employment law, influence skills, as well as deep and broad knowledge of Human Resources in general
• Superior diagnostic and analytical skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Solid business intelligence
• Ability to influence leaders and colleagues; skilled counselor, consultant and facilitator
• Strong organization skills and project management skills
• Knowledge of HRMS systems such as Workday and PeopleSoft

Responsibilities

• Responsible for the delivery of Employee Relations consulting services to dedicated client groups on standard to complex ER matters, including in Canada.
• Work with employees and their managers to understand perspectives and to guide toward resolution of conflict or issues.
• Suggest proactive solutions to address employee and business needs.
• Investigate standard to complex internal employee complaints.
• Recommend solutions to management and dedicated HRBPs, including consistent corrective action or termination, based on company policies, weighing legal risk factors to the organization.
• Document investigation, recommendations and resolution for the complaint.
• Consult and coach managers on performance management best practices, including progressive performance management, performance improvement plans, exit strategies, and involuntary separations.
• Investigate, review, consult, and provide recommendations to managers on employee misconduct issues.
• Make recommendations regarding appropriate level of corrective action or termination to HRPBs and management based on company policies and laws.
• Consult with management, HRBPs, ER COE, Legal, Benefits, Leave Administration and Risk management on escalated leave of absence and job accommodation requests.
• Provide recommendations, resolution and influence management on recommendations based on company policies and laws.
• Ensure appropriate documentation to support decision.
• Support and consult with HRBPs and managers with position elimination activities; coordinate approved business cases with aligned HRBP, ER COE, and the HR Operations team to ensure a seamless and thoughtful process for affected employees and non-affected managers and employees.
• Provide change management support to management and HRPBs.
• Partner with dedicated HRBP on issues that are highly complex or present significant risk to the business or company.
• Investigate, review, consult and provide written responses to state and federal agency charges in partnership with HRBPs and Legal.
• Utilize Case Management tools to document and effectively manage ER matters and investigations; will become the Subject Matter Expert and Super User of the Case Management tool, generating reports and tracking trends.
• Provide input and insight on holistic intervention and engagement efforts and remedies.
• Liaise and partner with Legal and ER COE on high level, high risk, or highly complex issues and their resolution.
• Partner with legal/ER as needed to ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state and local laws.
• May assist in the creation and refinement of company-wide HR policies; collaborate and consult on non-HR policies.
• The Employee Relations Senior Specialist may assist or take lead in the development of training, tools, templates, processes and reference materials, or other projects in support of the ER COE function.
• May participate in project work that supports the ER COE, the HR team, or other functions.
• Occasional travel to other C&W locations to participate in investigations and meetings.

Benefits

• Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work.
• In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman and Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees