WHAT DOES AN EMPLOYEE RELATIONS MANAGER DO?
Updated: Jun 04, 2025 - The Employee Relations Manager supports the HR Director in employee relations, retention, and compliance while advising on workplace matters, conflict resolution, and best HR practices. The role includes analyzing employee feedback, implementing engagement initiatives, and educating on policies, performance management, and labor relations. Additionally, this position coordinates communication, oversees leave programs, conducts investigations, and ensures compliance with employment laws and contractual obligations.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Employee Relations Manager
1. Employee Relations Manager Duties
- Dispute Resolution: Lead the independent review of employment disputes and workplace concerns, including Ethics, executive, and other complex complaint investigations to mitigate risk to the franchise and ensure appropriate resolution within prescribed timeframes.
- Documentation Management: Ensure adherence to established and evolving standards for detailed, auditable, and required documentation related to ER investigation matters.
- Process Adherence: Ensure adherence to internal ER procedures and practices.
- Consultation and Guidance: Provide consultation, guidance, and coaching to Human Resources and business partners to ensure the appropriate handling and resolution of employee relations matters.
- Legal Consultation: Consult with Employment Law attorneys in case handling.
- Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner with other independent functions on investigations that have an HR-related component.
- Trend Analysis: Track and analyze ER issue trends, diagnose root causes, and develop recommendations for corrective strategies.
- HR Planning: Develop and administer various human resources plans and processes for all staff.
- Employee Relations Support: Provide employee relations support through partnership and coaching for all employees and levels of management in the organization.
- Equity and Policy Development: Employ an equity lens to lead the creation and revision of policies and procedures aligned with best practices to achieve desired organizational goals and outcomes.
- HR Policy Interpretation: Provide advice on interpreting HR policies and procedures aligned with organizational and workforce strategy.
- Data-Driven Insights: Utilize reports and dashboards, and employee relations expertise to inform leadership on trends and workforce insights on talent retention and employee engagement.
- Reporting and Analysis: Provide data analysis and reporting solutions based on business needs, highlighting key trends in employee relations to proactively drive solutions.
2. Employee Relations Manager Details
- Policy Compliance: Provides guidance and assistance to supervisors/managers regarding interpretation, compliance, and enforcement of human resource policies and procedures, the collective bargaining agreements (including corrective action, grievance, and arbitration), and State and Federal laws including ADA, FMLA, and Workers Compensation.
- Training & Development: Trains managers and conducts internal investigative conferences and grievance hearings.
- Negotiation Support: Participates in contract negotiations as Second Chair.
- Training Content Creation: Develops training materials and teaches classes to managers and supervisors on a wide variety of labor and employee relations issues.
- Employee Support: Provides guidance and assistance to employees concerning problems that are affecting employment and job performance.
- Resource Referral: Advises employees of internal and external resources for professional support.
- HR Compliance: Provides guidance and assistance to HR colleagues regarding interpretation, compliance, and enforcement of human resources policies and procedures, the collective bargaining agreements, and State and Federal laws including ADA and FMLA.
- Complaint Investigation: Receives and investigates formal complaints from employees.
- Resolution Development: Develop, in coordination with department managers, appropriate resolutions based on findings.
- Agency Investigation Support: Assists in investigating complaints filed with State and Federal agencies such as the EEOC, Division of Labor Relations, etc.
- Data Coordination: Assists in and coordinates the gathering of data/information in preparation for various Labor and Employee Relations functions, including, but not limited to, collective bargaining negotiations, MCAD, and other investigations and litigation.
- Union Communication: Assists in and coordinates the gathering of data/information in response to union information requests.
- Report Coordination: Coordinates flow of information in and out of Labor Relations, including providing monthly and/or quarterly Excel reports to all unions, providing unions and managers with seniority lists, providing reports to those unions whose seniority is based on actual hours worked on a bi-annual basis, and any and all other reports.
- Agreement Preparation: Prepares Separation Agreements, salary continuation schedules and monitors timelines based on review and revocation periods.
3. Employee Relations Manager Responsibilities
- Issue Resolution: Participates in the resolution of employee relations issues and coordinates response to complaints.
- Call Management: Manages employee relations calls from the field.
- Investigation Support: Participates in and supports the documentation of investigations of workplace complaints and allegations such as discrimination, harassment, retaliation, hostile work environment, and policy violations.
- Data Management: Maintains a database of employee relations issues and investigations to assist with trending analysis and proactive response solutions.
- Relationship Building: Develops and maintains strong partnerships with restaurant operators.
- Exit Interview Analysis: Conducts exit interviews, analyzing trends or opportunities for feedback or improvement, particularly in areas related to employee engagement.
- Compliance Monitoring: Prepares and analyzes data to monitor compliance with employment laws and with organizational goals and policies.
- Training Consultation: Consults with management on the application of employment-related training to the workplace.
- Training Development: Participates in the development of training materials to address gaps in knowledge and performance related to employment matters.
- Recordkeeping: Develops and maintains a recordkeeping system that documents and tracks the status of all EEOC complaints, lawsuits, and other employee-related legal matters.
- Compliance Management: Ensures that legally required federal and state forms, notices, and posters are maintained for each restaurant and the corporate office.
- Best Practices Presentation: Presents employee relations best practices to new restaurant managers in a classroom setting.
- Policy Support: Responds to inquiries regarding policies, procedures, programs, and compliance issues.
- Employment Law Awareness: Stays apprised of employment law changes and industry trends in legislation across the United States.
- Coaching: Coaches managers on effective methods to ensure the development and maintenance of a work environment that fosters sensitivity and respect for people of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and disabilities.
4. Employee Relations Manager Job Summary
- Coaching and Advice: Work collaboratively with and provide day-to-day coaching and advice to managers and associates in a wide variety of employee relations issues, performance management, and policy interpretation.
- Employee Relations Support: Provide support, advice, coaching, and counsel when approached by individual associates or managers on employee relations topics.
- Confidentiality Management: Develop trusting relationships and protect confidentiality as long as this is in the interest of all parties.
- Union Liaison: Be the point of contact for the Unions represented in Irish sites in any disputes, negotiations, etc.
- Documentation Support: Review and assist managers in drafting corrective action, performance improvement, and termination documentation.
- Risk Analysis: Identify and analyze legal/compliance risks in employment situations.
- Legal Partnership: Partner with the HR Director and Employment Legal team to review and make recommendations on complex issues, such as terminations, investigations, and medical issues/accommodations, to effectively manage company risk.
- Employment Law Awareness: Stay current on employment law and employment law trends.
- Investigation Management: Conduct internal investigations of simple to moderate complexity, document findings, and make recommendations to management.
- Training Development: Collaborate with the Talent Management COE (Centre of Expertise) to develop and deploy manager effectiveness, HR compliance, and other employee relations-related training programs.
- Performance Review Support: Provide support to managers and other HR functions throughout the annual performance review process.
- Feedback and Development: Help craft IIGs, development plans, and quality written and verbal feedback.
- Trend Analysis: Track and interpret trends in employee relations to proactively identify issues and develop training and other interventions and solutions.
5. Employee Relations Manager Accountabilities
- HR Support: Assist the Secretariat HR Director on a wide range of HR responsibilities including employee relations and retention, AA/EEO compliance, and labor relations.
- Conflict Resolution: Advise employees and managers on workplace matters, and provide conflict resolution.
- Performance Management: Advise and counsel managers on HR best practices on performance management.
- Employee Relations: Advise and counsel managers on best practices and obligations on employee/labor relations.
- Data Analysis: Lead the analysis of employee feedback and data, with the aim of creating an engaged and inclusive environment.
- Engagement Initiatives: Recommend and implement initiatives and programs aimed at driving overall employee engagement.
- Communication Coordination: Coordinate communication sessions with managers and staff on a variety of topics/best practices.
- Workforce Planning: Proactively contribute to HR workforce initiatives, including workforce planning, performance management, and staff development.
- Legal and Policy Education: Educate and inform managers and employees on employment laws and workplace policies.
- Policy Review: Review and make recommendations for the organization's HR policies and procedures.
- Compliance Communication: Communicate updates and ensure compliance.
- Leave Management: Participate in the management of the organization's leaves of absence program.
- Contractual Support: Provide support and guidance to managers as it relates to contractual obligations.
- Coaching and Counseling: Provide support (coaching, counseling, education) to managers on employee relations and contractual obligations.
- Investigation Management: Conduct workplace investigations and make recommendations on remedial measures.