Employee Relations Executive (North/North West England)

Employee Relations Executive (North/North West England)

For the Sainsbury’s HR team, people are the most important asset we have and we’re always looking for the brightest talent to bring fresh energy, experience and inspiration. As a business we put colleagues at the heart of everything we do. We know that involving our colleagues and making them feel important builds trust and advocacy and ultimately helps to create a place where people love to work.

Our Employee Relations (ER) Executives are at the heart of supporting the delivery of expert ER advice to our store leaders on the cases that are of the most significant cultural risk and legal importance to a geographic region/s across, Sainsbury’s, Argos, and Sainsbury’s Bank.

This is a fast paced and varied role where you will work with agility, and pragmatism to deliver advice and support to the business which is efficient, professional, and credible, whilst ensuring risks are appropriately assessed, our commercial responsibilities are maintained, and we live our valued behaviours.

This role is predominantly based at home, however, it will require the successful candidates to travel to stores/locations across their geographic areas approx 4 to 6 times a month. Work-life balance is important to us, so we offer our colleagues as much flexibility as possible in line with the needs of their role. We trust them to decide how, where and when they work, combining remote and collaborative working with a flexible approach to hours, giving them plenty of time and space for life outside of work whilst delivering against our business goals.

What you need to do

• Build trusted, credible relationships with senior leaders and HR teams across your geographical areas in providing ER advice and solutions for complex, high risk or high-profile cases.
• Support the ER Specialist to provide insights into the ER environment for a geographic location/region/business area, ensuring appropriate plans are formed and delivered that address risk areas and drive desired improvements.
• Determine priority ER cases, making decisions on the appropriate way in which to manage a situation on a case-by-case basis.
• Demonstrate sound judgement, ensuring balanced advice is provided that drives end results that are right commercially and / or aligned to our valued behaviours.
• Act as the ER expert for our Whistleblowing process (Rightline), ensuring robust investigations are conducted by our Line Managers by providing feedback/learnings to continuously build line manager capability.
• Identify and coach leaders to improve the management of employee relations cases, helping to develop line manager expertise, specifically, in managing disciplinaries, fair treatments, capability, and performance related issues. Work with the Talent/Learning teams to provide input to pro-active learning interventions that improve knowledge and skills for line managers in managing such issues.
• Own high profile, high risk or complex occupational health cases of capability or attendance when necessary.
• Work with the ER Specialists and Employment Law team to prepare for Employment Tribunals / ACAS claims.
• Hold high standards of case confidentiality at all times

What you need to show

• Sound knowledge in all aspects of HR, ideally in employee relations, employment law and occupational health.
• Ability to assess risk in situations by using the team around you, ensuring approaches are in line with our ER strategy and valued behaviours.
• Act as the ER expert in labour matching business cases, identifying ER risk and providing feedback to continuously build line manager capability.
• Provide sound advice using our policies and procedures.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to build relationships at all levels and connect with our customers.
• Excellent judgement, which uses a combination of experience and sound HR expertise.
• Excellent verbal and written communications.
• The ability to break down complex information/people data and communicate simply across a range of stakeholders.

What’s in it for you

If being part of a hugely influential team wasn’t enough, you’ll also receive a host of great benefits. As well as a competitive salary and a huge range of learning and development opportunities, you’ll also enjoy.

• Smart hybrid working
• A competitive bonus scheme
• Excellent maternity/paternity policy
• Career break and sabbatical opportunities
• Holiday allowance with the option to buy more
• A healthy pension
• Save as you earn scheme · Colleague discounts at Sainsbury's, Argos and Habitat with extra discounts throughout the year · Cycle to work scheme

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