Employee Relations Policy Advisor
Application Deadline: 22 May 2025
Department: Business Services - Human Resources
Employment Type: Permanent
Location: Bristol
Reporting To: Angela Woodward
Description
We are seeking an experienced and proactive Employee Relations (ER) Advisor to play a key role in supporting our people managers and colleagues across the full colleague lifecycle. This is a varied role where you’ll offer expert advice, coaching, and tailored solutions on a wide range of people matters – from day-to-day queries to more complex cases.
You’ll be part of a collaborative national ER team, working together to deliver high-quality, consistent support across the business. The role may also involve providing in-person support where required by the needs of the business.
Key Responsibilities
Working closely with management, colleagues and the relevant HR Business Partner to advise on a range of employee relations issues, including but not limited to:
Employee Relations
- Providing proactive, consistent and commercially focussed advice and coaching support to develop manager capability, drive a culture of high performance and encourage colleague engagement and well-being.
- Case management to drive the resolution of performance, probation, attendance, disciplinary and grievance issues, ranging from informal discussions, to formal investigations, formal hearings and appeal stages.
- Advising the business and relevant HR Business Partners on the design and end to end implementation of change programmes (e.g. TUPE and redundancies).
- Supporting managers to deal with, or when particularly sensitive sometimes directly manage, complex and long term absence cases.
- Involvement in resolving more complex queries (e.g. benefits, maternity, absence or policy related) which are escalated from the HR Operations Team
- Providing consistent and commercially focussed advice to line managers and colleagues in HR around Employee Relations issues.
- Advising managers and colleagues on the Firm’s HR policies and employment best practice as they apply to day to day management of colleagues.
- Providing guidance around the Flex Forward approach to working and managing the formal flexible working application process.
- Supporting the ER Lead and other HR colleagues in relevant project work and initiatives, for example involvement in ensuring ER policies are relevant for changing business needs.
- Analyse ER data to identify recurring trends and themes and derive insights that help shape relevant programmes and interventions.
- Keeping up to-date in changing employment law landscape and conducting ER training as part of the Learning & Development offering as necessary.
- Dealing with ad-hoc or regular reports, including appropriate analysis of information where required.
Policy Development and Implementation
- Keep up to date with current and future employment law changes.
- Develop, review, and update HR policies and procedures to reflect current legislation, best practices, and organisational needs.
- Ensure consistent application and understanding of HR policies across the organisation through clear documentation, advice and communication.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
- A strong understanding of UK employment legislation and general Employee Relations principles and practices, preferably gained in a similar advisory role.
- Demonstrable experience of handling Employee Relations cases, either within a generalist or specialist role.
- A CIPD qualification, or part qualification, is desirable but not essential.
- Great communication skills, the ability to influence and engage colleagues and key stakeholders.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to translate employment legislation clearly and professionally
- Proactive and willing to take ownership of tasks and projects.
- Highly organised, with the ability to prioritise effectively and deal calmly with the pressure of deadlines and conflicting priorities.
- Team oriented, flexible and enthusiastic with a positive and committed approach.
- Reliable and able to work on own initiative, with good attention to detail and a high level of accuracy.
- A good level of computer literacy including use of Excel, PowerPoint and word is essential.
- Experience of HR Systems including Case Management systems would be desirable
