Employee Relations Specialist | St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The aim of the Human Resources Directorate is to set a clear direction for human resource management across St George's and to use the Trust's vision and values as a basis for real change to improve working lives for our staff to enable us to continue to deliver excellent care for our patients. The ER operational team provides a specialist advisory service to both staff and managers across a wide range of Human Resources matters including; Recruitment, medical staffing, workforce information, terms and conditions, HR policy, employee benefits, employee relations, workforce strategy and retention. The ER Specialist role is a key driver in the ER Strategy and the ER improvement Plan. To act as a subject matter specialist and support divisions as assigned by the Head of ER, supported by a Band 6 ER Advisor who they will line manage. The ER specialist will provide the full range of ER support across the employee relations lifecycle. This will include supporting ER projects, conducting investigations, managing formal and informal casework, supporting hearings up to and including dismissals, and supporting Employment Tribunals, The post holder will also contribute to ER strategy projects and policy development workstreams including improvement activity and training. The post holder will be expected to promote a just culture approach to employee relations and understand equality and diversity matters relating to ER Cases contributing a culture of compassionate leadership across the Trust. The postholder is expected to have a clear understanding of how this post contributes to the achievement of the trust vision of: A thriving Foundation Trust at the heart of an integrated healthcare system. One that delivers improved patient care at a community, hospital and specialist setting, supported by a unique and nationally recognised programme of research, education and employee engagement. We expect all our staff to share the values that are important to the Trust, being Excellent, Kind, Responsible & Respectful, and behave in a way that reflects these. St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and expects that all staff will share in this commitment. The Trust is clear that all staff have a responsibility to be aware of children and adult safeguarding policies and procedures and that each member of staff, clinical and non-clinical, will attend child or adult safeguarding training that is provided at an appropriate level to suit their role. The Trust has the additional expectation that all staff will be able to identify concerns and know what action to take. Communication/Relationships 1. To act as the designated lead ER specialist and the relationship manager responsible for supporting divisions as allocated by the Head of Employee Relations. Supported by an Employee Relations Advisor, they will provide effective advice and support in a timely and proactive manner to managers. 1. To represent and promote a positive, proactive approach to the Employee Relations and creating a Centre of Excellence model in the Trust, acting as an advocate for an open, fair and transparent employment relations environment, working in partnership with trade union representatives and managers to achieve this aim. 1. To interpret employment policies and to work with managers, coaching them on how to apply the policies to ensure they act in accordance with the Trust's agreed polices, good employment practice and employment law, and in a way that promotes a fair working environment for all staff. 1. To work alongside Medical Staffing Team, OD Team, EDI Team, Freedom To Speak up, Corporate Education & Development Team, HRBP Team and Recruitment Team to deliver joint initiatives to managers, ensuring a joined-up approach to the delivery of departmental goals, and Trust priorities. Employee Relations 1. To act as a subject expert advising managers in all employee relations matters including, Bullying and Harassment, Conduct, Performance Management, Grievance Sickness Absence and MHPS case work in line with the Trust's employment policies, employment law and good practice and to manage a caseload of formal and informal employee relations matters, ensuring timely escalation of risk to Head of Employee Relations and closure of cases to agreed KPIs. 1. To support the Head of Employee Relations to manage the progress and administration of all Employment Tribunal (ET) claims in respect to any allocated division and ensure the project management of ET cases to conclusion. 1. To work with managers to reduce sickness absence for all staff groups including medical workforce and contribute to greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness, ensuring that the Trust is working towards and maintaining benchmarks for sickness absence as set by the Trust Board and sector-wide Performance Management scorecards. 1. To be responsible for supporting the Chair of hearings with outcome letters, drafting an outline of decisions, and managing the hearing process, including preparation of hearing packs, sending letters and communication to all parties, also ensuring an accurate record of hearings are kept for use at internal appeals and external Employment Tribunal Hearings. 1. To advise managers chairing formal hearings (except appeals) under the Trust's employment procedures, ensuring that the appropriate procedure is adhered to, and that employees have a full, fair and impartial hearing. To advise managers on appropriate action to take under such procedures, taking account of all the circumstances and ensuring consistency of approach across the Trust. 1. To assist managers in preparing management statements of case for internal appeal hearings and managing the process for appeal hearings and scheduling pre-meets and case management meetings and supporting managers presenting at these hearings. 1. To take responsibility for alimitedcaseload of allocated investigations, to conduct the investigators and submit reports to commissioning managers and to be responsible and take overall ownership of ER cases in an allocated division. 1. To ensure all ER casework is logged and accurately tracked on the ER tracker to ensure that casework is progressed, and cases closed in a timely manner and in line with the ER KPI's/SLA's and to produce data reports and dashboards as requested by ER Manager or Head of Employee Relations. 1. To work with the ER Manager in the development and revision of employment policies to ensure the Trust has appropriate policies and procedures that reflect current employment law and good practice. 1. To provide staff with information on their terms and conditions of service and issues affecting their welfare such as Ill Health Retirement, adoption Leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, sickness entitlements, salary details, annual leave and flexible working options. 1. To advise on changes to individual staff records, liaising with managers and payroll staff as appropriate. Change Management 1. To advise managers on the employee relations aspects of implementing changes to organisational structures, ensuring that the Trust meets it obligations to consult effectively with staff and their recognised Trade Union/Professional Organisation, and follows an appropriate process to introduce changes, including selection for redundancy and managing the redeployment process. 1. To contribute and support ER projects relating to EDI workstreams including WRES and DES improvement projects and supporting the EDI team, Culture Change projects and OD team-based projects, Education and Development for managers and also improvement projects across the ER team, contributing to ER service improvement plans, team plans, and developing new ways of working, including innovative ER interventions to reduce conflict, taking appropriate actions across the Trust to minimise breakdown in team relationships, and other ER related concerns. 1. To work with the Recruitment Team to deal with any complaints regarding the recruitment service and bias and supporting ways of continuously improving recruitment activity, working with managers across the Trust. Strategic 1. To support the ER Manager with delivering projects allocated by the Head of ER and defined aspects of the NHS Human Resources agenda, ensuring the Trust can demonstrate progress towards attaining strategic objectives and any relevant national standards. 1. To work with ER Manager to represent the ER team positively in internal and external settings, being an advocate for the role of the ER Service and working to develop and communicate a Centre of Excellence model. 1. To support service management by tracking Action Logs and actions arising from ER Service Meetings and following up on action points as required by deadlines, also manging risks and issues, providing timely escalation to Head of Service and providing secretariat support to designated HR forums such as the Partnership Forums, LNC, JNC. 1. To support ER casework that extends across the the HR General Office team portfolio and to provide support and advise on matters relating to terms and conditions, employment rights and visa conditions, DBS and to deal with ER / HR queries within the ER and GO inboxes. Training 1. To work with OD and Corporate Education and Training to devise and deliver training programmes for managers that enhance ER management in the Trust, and to deliver these training sessions as required. 1. To work with service managers in the identification of training needs in the divisions, particularly in relation to management development, and to deliver bespoke ER training courses and briefing sessions including performance management, capability, harassment and bullying, and sickness absence, as appropriate. Analysis 1. To work with the recruitment and workforce information, EDI teams to produce reports on ER activity (sickness, vacancy levels, turnover etc.) and to present these reports at Directorate meetings when requested and / or annual statutory reports. 1. To contribute to board reports relating to analysis of ER activity in allocated divisions and to provide robust recommendations on interventions and actions required to improve the ER environment across the Trust. 1. To manage and oversee the external and internal Job Evaluation process and ensure panels are conveyed and the job evaluation framework properly managed. Personal & Professional 1. To be responsible for ensuring professional standards of personnel practice are maintained and developed and keep up to date, the portfolio demonstrating continuous professional development. General

• To have responsibility for the Health, Safety and Welfare of self and others and to comply at all times with the requirement of the Health and Safety Regulations.
• To provide line management support to (snr) employee relations advisor(s) including supervision, performance management and professional development.
• To provide interim cover for any division as delegated or requested due to sickness or annual leave and to provide support and case work cover to SWLP as required or requested by Head of Employee Relations.
• To act as a specialist lead for specific areas of ER operations for example SWLP Unit, Medical Workforce, MHPS, Cultural Change,. EDI, Service Improvement, Managers Training as designated by Head of Employee Relations.
• To provide interim senior cover for HR General Office as requested due to sickness or annual leave and to provide support to the team as required.
• To always ensure confidentiality, only releasing confidential information obtained during the course of employment to those acting in an official capacity in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act and its amendments.
• To work in accordance with the Trust's Equality and Diversity policy to eliminate unlawful discrimination in relation to employment and service delivery.
  
  Disability Confident
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