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HR Employee Relations Manager Job Description

Publish: April 17, 2021

Author: StrongerTeams Editorial

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HR Employee Relations Manager Job Description

Table of Contents

An HR Employee Relations Manager (HRERM) helps management and the employees in an organization understand each other and work better together.

Working within the human resources environment, an HR Employee Relations Manager smooths relations within the organization and ensures that lines of communication between management and staff always remain open.

The role is pivotal to the continued success of an organization, and successful HR Employee Relations Managers often advance into senior HR management roles.

Similar Job Titles:

Assistant Director of Human Resources, Human Resources Manager

What Does an HR Employee Relations Manager Typically Do?

An HR Employee Relations Manager enables and facilitates communication and employee relations in an organization, and acts as the go-to person for any HR-related issues, concerns, and complaints.

The role involves:

Developing and implementing an Employee Relations Program
Designing HR policies and procedures
Resolving work conflicts and grievances
Addressing employee-raised issues and concerns
Advising departmental managers
Running negotiations with employee representatives
Advising senior management

Developing and Implementing an Employee Relations Program

An Employee Relations Program formalizes the dialog between management and staff and ensures that both sides are heard.

An HR Employee Relations Manager draws up a plan to set out the ground rules for dialog, stipulate the frequency of meetings, set the basic agenda for each meeting, and clarify roles on either side. The plan is mutually binding, and an HR Employee Relations Manager may have to negotiate with management and staff to achieve consensus before the plan is agreed on.

The plan sets the framework for fair communication between the two sides of the organization.

Designing Policies and Procedures

In collaboration with Departmental Heads, the HR Manager, and all other stakeholders, an HR Employee Relations Manager designs policies and procedures that ensure the organization can function safely, fairly, and equitably for all employees.

Having designed all the necessary policies, an HR Employee Relations Manager makes sure that the policy documents are distributed to everybody and are understood.

In some instances, training courses are required to explain new or unfamiliar policies and procedures. Under these circumstances, an HR Employee Relations Manager organizes training and ensures all stakeholders attend.

Resolving Work Conflicts and Grievances

Conflict within an organization can be highly disruptive and damaging. An HR Employee Relations Manager is the first point of contact to mediate in and resolve conflict in the organization, and the challenge is to achieve resolution as quickly, fairly, and satisfactorily as possible.

This role requires skill in conflict resolution and mediation, and an HR Employee Relations Manager must be trained to handle conflict situations logically and dispassionately.

Addressing Employee-Raised Issues and Concerns

Whether or not they are justified, an HR Employee Relations Manager treats all concerns or issues raised by employees with diligence and care, making sure the issues are heard and that the employees are given a voice.

It is crucial to ensure the employees feel represented, while it is equally important to uphold the needs of the organization. Both sides should feel they can trust an HR Employee Relations Manager.

Advising Departmental Managers

Changes to organizational structure, work practices, or employment terms and conditions may cause unease in an organization. An HR Employee Relations Manager advises Departmental Managers on how to handle such changes with as little disruption as possible.

If necessary, Departmental Managers call on an HR Employee Relations Manager to mediate during the change process, the key role being to ensure that all stakeholders are kept abreast of all the facts as they become known. The trust relationship between employees, management, and an HR Employee Relations Manager is pivotal in minimizing conflict during change processes.

Running Negotiations With Employee Representatives

Negotiations with unions, work councils, or other employee representative bodies require skill, patience, and collaboration to ensure a win-win is achieved. Successful HR Employee Relations Managers often lead such negotiations and must balance organizational needs with the demands of the employees’ representatives.

The trust relationship between all the stakeholders and an HR Employee Relations Manager, as well as the HRERM’s negotiation skill, is crucial in achieving a mutually satisfactory outcome.

Advising Senior Management

In addition to advising Departmental Heads on employee-related matters, an HR Employee Relations Manager also consults with senior management on strategic plans that could affect relations with the workforce.

Representing the voice of the employees, an HR Employee Relations Manager provides valuable insight to help senior management make decisions that will cause the least possible pushback from staff while achieving the organization’s aims.

Roles an HR Employee Relations Manager Typically Collaborates With

An HR Employee Relations Manager is closely linked with the following roles:

Collaborative Roles
HR Director	Compensation and Benefits Manager	HR Executive
Benefits Manager	HR Development Manager	HR Operations Manager
HR Strategist	Senior HR Business Partner	HR Compliance Specialist

HR Employee Relations Manager Salary

In the U.S., an HR Employee Relations Manager will earn between $97,000 and $128,000 annually. The median is around $109,373.

What Is the HR Employee Relations Manager Pay Difference by Location?

An HR Employee Relations Manager’ average salary varies by location as follows:

City	Average Salary
Denver, CO	$110,609
Seattle, WA	$119,589
Washington, D.C.	$121,754
Austin, TX	$107,568
San Francisco, CA	$136,716
New York, NY	$131,576
Boston, MA	$123,231
Milwaukee, WI	$108,245

What Is the HR Employee Relations Manager Pay Difference by Experience Level?

Experience affects an HR Employee Relations Manager’ salary as follows:

Experience Level	Average Salary
< 1 year	$104,781
1–4 years	$105,699
5–9 years	$107,536
10–19 years	$111.270
20+ years	$113,439