Employee Relations Advisor (Sickness Support Team)

Job overview

Employee Relations Advisor (Sickness Support Team)

Band 6, Full Time (BANK)

We are looking for an experienced HR professional to join our temporary sickness support team. This role may also suit someone without formal HR experience but with significant experience in leading teams and line management, particularly where they have managed sickness absence within their team and applied relevant policies effectively.

We are seeking individuals who can bring a strong understanding of HR processes and practical management experience to support the Temporary Sickness Support Team during this period.

- You will be required to work onsite at least 4 days per week.

Why Join Us? Reducing sickness rates and supporting a safe, sustainable return to work for our employees is a key priority for the Trust. And this is more than a case management role. You’ll be part of a Trust-level project team at the heart of workforce transformation. With the freedom to shape your work and contribute ideas, you’ll directly influence how sickness absence is managed across the organisation – improving outcomes for staff, services, and ultimately patient care.

Interview Date - TBC

Main duties of the job

The post holder will  have complete autonomy for managing their own time and diary commitments. They will lead on the management of complex sickness related absence cases which require HR intervention and manage a varied employee relations caseload.

They will work proactively with managers, providing first line advice on employee relation matters, general ER support and delivering training to managers.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Role As ER Advisor for the Sickness Support Team, you will:

✓ Be a trusted partner Provide expert advice in sickness-related meetings including Long-Term Sickness (LTS), Short-Term Sickness (STS), and Return to Work (RTW), ensuring procedural compliance, effective case progression, and appropriate guidance on reasonable adjustments and hearings.

✓ Manager Capability Building Deliver tailored 1:1 and team training on sickness absence processes, documentation standards, and system usage, while coaching and mentoring managers across varying levels of experience to build confidence and capability.

✓ Data-Driven Targeting Use sickness absence data to inform monthly service allocations and prioritise support for high-need areas, working collaboratively with HR Business Partners to align interventions with directorate needs.

✓ Work Collaboratively Partner with HR Business Partners, Occupational Health, Organisational Development, and Staff Well being teams to deliver proactive solutions, address hot spots, and support sustainable workforce health.

✓ Training Programme Development & Delivery Design and deliver a comprehensive training suite covering sickness procedures, meeting preparation, and documentation, using interactive methods such as role play to reinforce learning and build manager confidence.

✓ Stakeholder Engagement & Continuous Improvement Maintain strong relationships with directorates, act on feedback to enhance service delivery, and promote best practice by signposting managers to relevant resources and guidance.

***Please see the attached supporting document which contains more information about the role in the job description and person specification***