WHAT DOES AN EMPLOYEE RELATIONS DIRECTOR DO?

Updated: Jun 02, 2025 - The Employee Relations Director prepares disciplinary action notices and coordinates labor/management committees while ensuring compliance with Federal and State laws. This position collaborates with departments to develop strategies for employee retention and motivation and serves as a coach in handling labor-related issues. The role also involves addressing workplace conflicts, managing investigations into employee misconduct, and fostering a positive and respectful workplace environment.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Employee Relations Director

1. Employee Relations Director Duties

  • Diversity and Values Promotion: Promotes Elizabeth Seton Children’s Mission and Core Values of Respecting and Embracing Diversity, Excellence, Collaboration, Innovation, Evolution, Growth and Change, and Loving Relationships by bringing these values to life in the organization.
  • Employee Relations Management: Plans, implements, and supervises the employee relations program.
  • Leadership and HR Policy Development: Assists the Vice President of Talent Management in providing leadership and direction for the HR team to develop and refine Human Resources policies and procedures.
  • Team Improvement Strategy: Helps direct strategies for overall team improvement.
  • Collaboration and Team Building: Develops and supports tools and techniques for establishing collaborative management-employee teambuilding and problem-solving.
  • Employee Relations Advisory: Advises supervisors and employees on employee relations policies and procedures.
  • Lead Employee Relations Counselor: Serves as the organization’s lead employee relations counselor.
  • Complaint and Grievance Tracking: Tracks complaints and grievances to ensure compliance with applicable procedural requirements.
  • Grievance Hearing Management: Manages the grievance hearing process and represents the facility.
  • Policy Review and Drafting: Works closely with the VP, Talent Management, in reviewing and recommending changes to policies and drafting the Employee Handbook.
  • Dispute Resolution: Works with managers and employees to resolve disputes.
  • Collective Bargaining Advice: Responds to managers and employees in the interpretation of the provisions of the collective bargaining agreements affecting all employees.
  • Disciplinary Counseling and Advice: Provides advice to supervisors on counseling employees and evaluating potential disciplinary matters for employees.
  • Investigation and Compliance: Familiar with and adheres to contractual requirements in conducting disciplinary investigations and completes investigations in a timely manner.

2. Employee Relations Director Details

  • Disciplinary Action: Prepares Disciplinary Action Notice.
  • Labor and Management Coordination: Prepare and coordinate labor/management committees.
  • Compliance Management: Ensures the organization is in compliance with Federal and State laws and statutes.
  • Employee Retention and Motivation: Collaborates with various departments to evaluate and develop methods to retain and motivate employees.
  • FMLA, ADA, and Compliance Guidance: Provides guidance in remaining compliant with FMLA, ADA and reasonable accommodation, EEO matters, and Workers' Compensation.
  • Manager and Supervisor Relations: Develops strong relationships with managers and line supervisors.
  • Labor Issue Coaching: Serves as a coach in managing difficult labor-related issues.
  • Problem-Solving Innovation: Works with colleagues to identify and create innovative solutions to solve and prevent problems.
  • Employee Relations Oversight: Oversees day-to-day office activities involving employee relations and complaints, sexual harassment claim investigations, ADA accommodations and resolution to other employee-related issues.
  • Workplace Conflict Resolution: Address workplace conflicts and strive to resolve them in a positive manner that benefits all parties and facilitates healthy working relationships.
  • Misconduct Investigation Support: Partners with HRBPs on investigations of allegations of employee/employer misconduct and recommends resolutions.
  • External Investigator Liaison: Liaise with external investigators.
  • Positive Workplace Culture: Helps foster a positive and respectful workplace.
  • Employee Concerns Addressing: Listens to and addresses employee concerns to encourage a supportive, respectful, and safe workplace.
  • Complaint Resolution: Resolves employee issues and handles complaints to protect the interests of all parties involved.
  • Complex ER Matter Resolution: Responsible for handling and resolving complex ER matters.

3. Employee Relations Director Responsibilities

  • Benefits and Wellness Strategy: Strategic oversight and implementation of Lincoln’s benefits and wellness offerings, to enhance employee engagement and to be a competitive advantage for the firm.
  • External Partnership Management: Manage relationships and evaluate and revise recommendations from external Benefits strategic partner.
  • Budget Management and Analysis: Manage and analyze the annual budget as it relates to spending on benefits, wellness and high-level compensation, working in tandem with Lincoln’s Finance function.
  • HRIS Evaluation and Implementation: Evaluate and implement a new HRIS to match the growing needs of the business.
  • Deferred Compensation Committee Participation: Participate in Lincoln’s Deferred Compensation 401(k) Committee.
  • Employee Relations Leadership: Lead employee relations efforts for Lincoln International U.S.
  • Confidential Employee Support: Serve as a confidential resource for employees and leaders.
  • Personnel Situation Management: Manage and lead confidential personnel situations, including non-compliance with policies to resolution.
  • Communication of Policy Changes: Communicate critical messages or changes to HR policy, compensation, and benefits to management and the employee base.
  • Policy Promotion and Modeling: Promote organizational policies by conveying a positive image of the company and model this behavior for others.
  • Policy and Documentation Review: Create/review/revise policies, documentation and practices to drive a meaningful and compliant employee experience.
  • Employee Lifecycle Documentation: Lead team in the creation of required documentation and execution along the employee lifecycle (e.g., pre-employment, total reward statements, promotion letters, office transfers).
  • Employee Relations Expertise: Serve as a subject matter expert in employee relations matters, including conducting investigations and leading employee situations to effective resolution.
  • Legal and Regulatory Partnership: Partner with Legal to monitor and respond to regulatory changes affecting people processes.
  • Policy Manual Maintenance: Maintain the U.S. Policy manual, as well as policy governance documentation.
  • Performance Management Leadership: Lead performance management for functional and administrative support staff.

4. Employee Relations Director Job Summary

  • Performance Management Coaching: Coach and consult leaders on the performance management process.
  • Performance Issue Resolution: Partner with leaders to address performance issues and issue corrective measures.
  • Leadership and Influence: Act as a leader in the organization, both with those on the team, the broader Talent team, and the organization.
  • Contextual Leadership: Manage with context, not control and serve as a role model and mentor to peers and staff and fully support the apprenticeship model.
  • Leadership by Example: Lead by example and monitor team proactively ensuring matters are handled in a manner which creates positive lasting impressions.
  • Apprenticeship Development: Promote an apprenticeship approach to develop managers/staff by creating hands-on learning opportunities across multiple competency areas.
  • Vision Creation and Motivation: Create a compelling vision and motivate individuals to achieve it.
  • Collaborative Support: Proactively communicate, collaborate, assist, and coach immediate manager in support of success and the success of the department.
  • Networking and Brand Building: Extend the reach of professional networks to enhance Lincoln’s brand and personal brand.
  • Global Collaboration: Collaborate with other functions and global offices in the pursuit of global reporting and compliance matters.
  • Cross-Department Communication: Keep other departments informed of developments affecting functions.
  • Global Headcount Information: Ensure the collection of accurate global headcount information.
  • Immigration Support: Work with internal team and external experts for immigration.
  • Temporary Secondment Coordination: Work with internal team and leaders in other offices on temporary office secondments.
  • Technical Competence: Demonstrate a high level of technical competence.

5. Employee Relations Director Accountabilities

  • Program Design: Design programs to ensure the fair treatment of employees and effective communication between employees and managers.
  • Data Analysis and Recommendations: Analyzes ER data/metrics for themes, trends, and root cause identification and makes recommendations to the senior leadership team.
  • Employee Engagement Programs: Partners with the broader HR team and management to develop, implement, and promote programs that foster employee engagement.
  • Progressive Discipline Model: Establish a progressive discipline model including the creation of disciplinary letters and an attendance management program.
  • Training Program Development: Works with Learning and Development to develop and help deliver leader and employee training programs such as AODA training and respect in the workplace.
  • Engagement Survey Planning: Responsible for the planning and implementation of the annual engagement survey for the organization.
  • Vendor Relationship Management: Maintains the relationship with the external vendor.
  • HR Alignment and Reporting: Partners with HR partners to ensure consistency with alignment and reporting.
  • Report and Data Analysis: Works with the vendor to produce reports and analysis on core relevant data to help HOOPP drive engagement.
  • Action Planning Development: Partners with HRBPs and business leaders to develop action planning.
  • Program Assessment: Annual assessment of the program to ensure company needs are being met.
  • Policy and Procedure Implementation: Implement policies and procedures, and resolve workplace concerns.
  • Policy and Procedure Enforcement: Responsible for creating and enforcing company policies and procedures in order to help define acceptable conduct in the workplace.
  • Compliance Guidance: Provides guidance and advice to managers and employees, ensuring compliance with company policies and procedures.
Relevant Information
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