Employee Relations Manager

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced employee relations professional to join our Workforce team as Employee Relations Manager.

Reporting to the Head of Employee Relations, this role would manage the day-to-day operational activities of the Employee Relations team, ensuring that all employee relations cases are managed in line with Trust policies, procedures, and workforce KPIs.

The post holder will provide detailed employee relations advice to line managers and HR colleagues, ensuring that all employee relations matters are managed in accordance with up-to-date employment legislation and best practice. They would be responsible for the management of the Employee Relations team and the allocation of work, ensuring that all employee relations cases are progressed in a timely manner within the Trust’s case management system. They would also be responsible for employee relations case reporting and continuous service improvement.

Candidates should have significant employee relations experience having worked to and developed employee relations processes within large, complex, unionised organisations. They should have a detailed understanding of core employment policies as well as up to date knowledge of employment legislation and in depth knowledge of Agenda for Change terms and conditions. They should be a strong communicator with the ability to flex their style to a range of audiences.

Interview date: TBC

To effectively manage the day-to-day operational activities of the Trust’s employee relations function, ensuring that all employee relations cases are managed in line with Trust policies, procedures, and workforce KPIs. The post holder will provide detailed employee relations advice to line managers and HR colleagues, ensuring that all employee relations matters are managed in accordance with up-to-date employment legislation and best practice. They are responsible for the management of the Employee Relations Advisory team and the allocation of work, ensuring that all employee relations cases are progressed in a timely manner within the Trust’s ER Case Tracker system.

You can expect a warm welcome at Milton Keynes University Hospital, our staff are friendly and welcoming. We listen to each other and work together to embed our Trusts values and behaviours. At MKUH we appreciate our staff and reward them with an outstanding benefits package including:

• Free on-site parking
• Free tea and coffee
• Great flexible working opportunities
• Discounted gym membership
• Lease car scheme
• Generous annual leave and pension scheme
• On site nursery (chargeable)
• Extensive staff health and well-being programme

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital; we conduct research and teaching on site to improve the care of our patients. The hospital is undergoing significant investment, and we are proud to be rated good by the CQC. Visit our website to catch up on our latest news.

Design and create robust ER interventions to address potential employee relations concerns working with other HR teams to provide proactive response to workforce concerns

Deliver effective ER support across the full Employee or Employment life cycle and to enable a just culture and effective resolution of workplace concerns

Manage the Employee Relations inbox, ensuring that all queries are responded to within the agreed service level agreement (SLA) and that all formal cases are identified, assigned to an HR Advisor for support, and created on ER Case Tracker within the agreed SLA.

Oversee employee relations casework to ensure cases are progressing in a timely fashion in line with policy, employment legislation and best practice, escalating to the Head of Employee Relations any cases that are likely to exceed timescales and/or represent a risk to the Trust.

Support and coach managers to manage performance, sickness absence, grievance, and disciplinary cases. Support complex and sensitive cases, providing advice to senior managers as required.

Act as an escalation point for complex queries/cases. In addition, provide support to line managers on more sensitive/complex/high profile cases and provide support to line managers for the sickness absence management of medical and dental staff.

Work in partnership with staff side/trade unions to ensure that employee relations issues are managed constructively and with effective outcomes.

On an ongoing basis, identify:

• Changes to national terms and conditions of employment,
• Good and/or innovative HR practice
• Changes in employment legislation and immigration law

Please refer to the job description for further details.