Employee Relations & Policy Advisor

The Employee Relations & Policy Advisor supports managers and colleagues across a broad range of employee relations matters, helping to ensure a consistent, fair and legally compliant approach to people management across the firm. Working as part of the national Employee Relations & Policy team, you'll partner with managers, HR Business Partners and colleagues to manage employee relations issues, support organisational change projects and contribute to the development and implementation of the firm's people policies. The role may occasionally require travel to our offices to support business needs. 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. Firm wide: Understands DAC Beachcroft is an international firm. Works with awareness of this structure to operate as one team/brand. Actively operates in the best interests of the firm at all times internally and externally. Operates in a regulated environment, effectively managing risk and compliance issues including data security. Works in partnership with others to manage and mitigate commercial risk. 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. Excellent and written communication skills, the ability to influence and engage colleagues and key stakeholders. Ideally of graduate calibre, with minimum 5 GCSE passes including English and Maths (or equivalent). 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. Proven experience in using case management systems and handling administrative processes, with a strong track record of accurate data management and strict adherence to confidentiality protocols. Additional Information As a Disability Confident Scheme employer, we’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you need any reasonable adjustments at any stage (including the application, assessment or interview process), please contact [email protected] in confidence with the vacancy reference in the subject line, and we’ll be happy to help.