Senior Employee Relations Advisor

Job overview

One of the best things about working in the People Directorate at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust is making a positive difference to someone’s experience at work. Our people strategy at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust allows us to do that through our strategic priority to bring ‘Joy at Work’, emphasising engagement, equality, diversity and inclusion to ensure our people have a sense of belonging and fulfilment in their roles.

If you already have proven experience in providing expert advice to managers on the full range of employee relations matters, including advising on casework, this role provides an excellent opportunity for you to operate in a senior ER advisory role within the NHS. Previous NHS experience is not essential, as it is your ability to apply your understanding of employment law, support and coach our managers to identify risks and make sound people management decisions that will allow you to excel in this role.  In turn you will gain valuable skills and development that will come from working in an NHS secondary care and acute setting as part of a friendly and supportive Employee Relations and HR Business Partnering Team.

This role provides the opportunity to work flexibly using a hybrid working model and the successful candidate will be invited to discuss an arrangement to accommodate their needs in alignment with service requirements.

Main duties of the job

You will work closely with the Head of Employee Relations to ensure comprehensive management of all employee relations matters and provide professional advice and support to managers in all areas of employee relations ensuring that problems are identified and resolved quickly, effectively and fairly.

You will be part of supportive and collaborative ER team who offer both a reactive and proactive ER service, as well as have the opportunity to bring fresh ER perspectives and approaches to suit the changing needs of our various departments

In your role, you will be aligned to a specific division/s of the Trust to be the main point of contact for all Employee Relations issues. As a part of this, you will get the opportunity to build strong relationships with clinical and non-clinical colleagues in your division, gaining an insight into how they work to deliver safe and compassionate care to patients in our local area.

You will guide managers on investigations and hearings, as well as deliver training to managers on employee relations matters in order to develop the capability of line managers to deal with employment issues fairly and consistently across the organisation ensuring this is reflective of a restorative just and learning culture and our values.

You will be regarded as a subject matter expert and will positively influence decisions and promote a restorative just and learning approach and anti-discriminatory approach.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Managerial responsibilities:

Provide professional advice and support to managers in all areas of employment relations such as grievance, disciplinary, fair treatment and absence management procedures, ensuring that problems are identified and resolved quickly, effectively and fairly and that throughout all processes there is comprehensive and effective communication with staff and their representatives.

Advise managers and staff on the interpretation and application of terms and conditions of service and contractual issues.

Advise and support managers to undertake investigations, including: decisions on suspensions and advising on the approval process to suspend as appropriate; supporting the manager in the development of the investigation report; supporting the presentation of the findings at the hearing.

Attend formal employee relations meetings as appropriate and advise managers on documentation, ensuring consistency, accuracy and best practice.

Support the Head of Employee Relations and HR Business Partners with the effective management of Employment Tribunal claims, undertaking relevant duties as delegated to them.

Support the Head of Employee Relations to produce and monitor monthly employment relations data for key performance indicators.

Support the interpretation of this information, identify any problem areas and work with Trust managers to address them.

Support the Head of Employee Relations to provide monthly feedback reports on employee relations activity to the HR senior team.

Lead on supporting managers to proactively manage short term sickness cases, by reviewing reports sent to managers identifying cases that have triggered under the Trust’s sickness absence policy.

Work with the Head of Employee Relations to further develop monitoring mechanisms against which the Employee Relations Team can measure performance.

Deputise for the Head of Employee Relations when required.

Professional responsibilities:

Provide professional advice and support as a full panel member in employment related hearings, providing guidance to managers to determine appropriate action.

To be familiar with the Trust’s computerised Employee Relations and ESR information record systems and input and retrieve information as required.

Keep up to date with current employment law legislation and best practice and make recommendations when policy and procedure needs to change to reflect this.

Be a trained Agenda for Change job evaluator and participate in job evaluation and matching panels.

Provide advice and guidance to Trust managers with the development of job descriptions and person specifications in line with the Agenda for Change job evaluation and methodology.

Foster a positive climate of employee relations within the Trust, to support the implementation of a partnership approach and to develop and maintain good working relationships with representatives of accredited Trade Unions.

Please see attached job description