Employee Relations Advisor (Interim 3 Months)
- Job 525
Based Swindon
£30k
Our client is a world class manufacturing company, whose business growth
has created a need to continually strengthen its Employee Relations
team and accordingly they are looking for an Interim Employee Relations
Adviser to join the existing team of 11.
Reporting to the Employee Relations Manager and working with a very
experienced and supportive team, the Interim ER Advisor’s role
will be to provide prompt advice and assistance to managers and employees
for a large manufacturing unit ensuring best practice is adhered to
and developed. To be responsible for the development of Associate Relations
at Plant level while maintaining the central role of Associate Services.
Employee Relations Advisor’s at this company deal with a high volume
and a vast range of issues from absence management to disability. Additionally,
they deal with the development and implementation of policies and procedures,
relationship building with Union representatives and the support of
occupational health. Accordingly, this role would suit someone with
solid experience of advising on a wide range of ER issues in a ‘volume’
ER environment – perhaps from a retail, logistics or manufacturing
background. You will need very strong up-to-date employment law knowledge
and a real interest and enthusiasm for ER work as this will represent
90% of your role.
Reporting To/Working With:
Associate Relations & Welfare Section Manager. (Employee Relations
Manager)
In addition the jobholder will be expected to provide feedback to and
receive direction from other Associate Services Section Managers regarding
their specific areas of expertise. There are 11 in the ER team who range
from late 20’s to late 40’s and the majority have been recruited
externally, most have been HR Managers in their previous roles. It is
a very close team who communicate well and network with ideas. There
are currently just over 4,000 employees on site.
Key Responsibilities:
- Full responsibility for managing Associate Services (Employee
Relations) at Plant Level while supporting and with assistance from
central Associate Services. Looking after the Engine Plant and indirect
areas – circa 1000 employees.
- Assisting in the development of and implementing policies and
procedures. Ensuring compliance with best practice, employment legislation
and business requirements.
- Day to day management of all Associate Relations casework.
- Establishing link with ARC Representatives in area.
- Developing and delivering Plant specific and Site recruitment,
development and benefit initiatives in support of centralised functions.
Supporting Occupational Health as appropriate.
- Build influential and effective relationships with Plant Management,
Associates and the Associate Services Team.
- To support Associate Services project planning, design, implementation
and delivery.
Hardest Part of the Role
- Sheer volume and pace of the role.
Success Indicators
- The creation of excellent Associate Relations within the Plant
ensuring that genuine concerns of Associates are responded to in a timely
and appropriate manner. Business demands and management expectations
have to be balanced with individual needs whilst at all times ensuring
consistency and fairness.
- To establish relationships based on trust and respect with Managers
and General Associates. To develop the skills and competencies of managers
to enable them to deal more effectively with associate relations and
welfare issues.
- To establish best practice at Plant level whilst maintaining
and developing the relationship with the Associate Services Team and
other Departments.
- To accurately assess potential issues and respond in an open
and consistent manner.
- To help develop the role of Associate Services in responding
to change at all levels; business, local, legislative and national.
Person Profile
- Well developed interpersonal skills - a practical approach, strong
character, tenacious, diplomatic and resilient.
- Able to relate to both managers and general associates.
- Change motivated and highly flexible.
- Experience of working in a HR function in at least a medium sized
company (c. 300 employees) and dealing directly with management issues.
Experience of manufacturing/engineering is not required.
- Good generalist personnel knowledge combined with a desire to
specialise in employee relations for a period of time.
- Commercially focused with an analytical and numerate approach.
- Experience of dealing with a unionised (AMICUS) environment is
not essential. As important as your ER experience will be your tenacity
and resilience (essential in this demanding and pressured environment),
together with your pragmatic personality which will be put to use in
building long-term business relationships with managers. In return you
will gain exposure to issues which will give you first class ER experience.
Person Characteristics
- Good communicator - at all levels and able to express ideas succinctly,
precisely and in appropriate terms for the recipient(s).
- Resilient.
- Analytical and numerate.
- Enthusiastic.
- Coaching skills.
- Streetwise.
- Sense of humour.
Benefits
- £25-30,000 p.a.
- 8am – 4.30pm Monday – Thursday and 8am – 2.20pm
on Friday. However, given that the operation is shift based, although
the position doesn’t mirror the shifts there may be a need to start
early or leave later to attend to issues on the shifts outside of office
hours. However, if needing to do a late shift then you would be expected
to start late. There may be the occasional Saturday to work however,
this is sporadic. For example only 2 Saturdays were needed to be worked
in the first 6 months of the year but more recently every 4th Saturday
has been worked.
- There is paid overtime usually at a premium rate – The standard
working week is 37 hours and the normal hours worked by an ER Advisor
is 41-43 hours per week i.e. 4-6 hours overtime. However, the amount
of overtime worked is very much down to the individual. If a steady
5 hours overtime were worked each week this would add a minimum of £5,000
p.a. to the basic salary if paid at a basic rate, (overtime is normally
paid at a premium rate). One of the ER team currently earns just over
£40k. Although overtime is not guaranteed there has been the consistent
opportunity for overtime for the past 4 years.
- 25 days holidays – There are periods of factory shutdowns
when holidays must be taken:- Christmas 3-4 days; Whitsun 1 week; Summer
(end July beginning of August). This leaves 8 flexible days.
- Stake holder pension – contributory – including Life
Assurance.
- Private Medical scheme – with an option for the family to
join at a cheap rate.
- Uniform
- Subsidised canteen
- After 3 years service there is an option to lease a Honda from
£120(cheapest) to £220 (expensive such as CRV, leather seats
etc) per month. You keep this for 10,000 miles and are then provided
with a new vehicle.
If you are interested in this role or would like to discuss it in more
detail please forward your CV to
Fiona
Vennbrook or call on 0117 957 4100. Please remember to quote the
job reference number in all correspondence with Purple House Recruitment
Ltd.
