Senior Specialist, Employee Relations

About us

Every day we deliver safe and secure energy to homes, communities, and businesses. We are there when people need us the most. We connect people to the energy they need for the lives they live. The pace of change in society and our industry is accelerating and our expertise and track record puts us in an unparalleled position to shape the sustainable future of our industry. To be successful we must anticipate the needs of our customers, reducing the cost of energy delivery today and pioneering the flexible energy systems of tomorrow. This requires us to deliver on our promises and always look for new opportunities to grow, both ourselves and our business.

At National Grid, we aim to create an environment where everyone is welcomed for who they are and where our differences are celebrated. We utilize the insights of our employees that come from all different cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs to better serve our customers and communities.

National Grid is hiring a Senior Specialist, Employee Relations. This hybrid position can sit in on our Waltham, MA or Brooklyn, NY offices.

Job Purpose

This role will provide strategic input, insight and advice with respect to employee relations issues, coaching and development, performance management, conflict management, organizational change, and more. As a Sr. HR Specialist, Employee Relations, you will play an instrumental role in supporting the growth and scale of our Employee Relations team.

This role is responsible for providing Employee Relations (ER) support to managers and Human Resources including administering employment policies and practices, seeking to understand employee concerns, and making recommendations that effectively promote positive employee relations. This role will also work to continuously look at root causes of employee relations issues and seek to introduce process improvements and develop support tools.

Key Accountabilities

• Serve as a subject matter expert to employees and managers of all levels to provide resources and guidance when complex workplace issues arise
• Advise and consult in the resolution of employee relations concerns by partnering with employees and managers to recommend equitable, practical, and scalable solutions while effectively mitigating business and company risk
• Work closely with the internal investigations team to assess findings, determine corrective actions, and provide guidance to managers on the implementation of appropriate disciplinary measures based on investigation outcomes
• Build strong relationships with managers and stakeholders to support the resolution of employee relations issues and promote a culture of accountability and continuous improvement
• Maintain accurate and timely case files, documentation, and follow up regarding employee relations issues and performance concerns
• Provide guidance on the interpretation and administration of company policies, procedures and programs
• Assist in improving and streamlining consistent employee relations processes and standardizing our approach to various employee relations issues
• Participate in department specific and organizational strategic initiatives, partnering with cross-functional partners and driving scalable solutions
• Analyze data to identify trends, provide insights and make recommendations to stakeholders, COEs and HRBPs to create or modify solutions, programs and policies to improve the employee experience
• Partner with line managers to conduct involuntary terminations as needed

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• Minimum of 5 years work experience in an HRBP/ Employee Relations role
• PHR or SPHR Certifications as conferred by HRCI (Human Resource Certification Institute).
• Ability to apply HR knowledge / experience across all HR policies, programs, processes, and functions
• Ability to prioritize responsibilities and take ownership of work and projects
• Experience in performance management and policy interpretation
• Experience with employee relations, providing guidance to leadership and researching, investigating and responding to team member issues and concerns.
• Strong HR analytical skills and experience with Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint etc.)
• Ability to establish and maintain relationships as a trusted advisor to employees, managers and HR colleagues at all levels of the organization
• Knowledge of HR systems and data management
• Ability to act with a high degree of integrity, professionalism and maintain confidentiality
• Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing with impact
• Ability to understand and provide guidance on HR compliance efforts
• Knowledge of applicable state and federal employment and labor laws and governmental compliance requirements.
• Experience with ServiceNow HRSD a plus

Capability Requirements

• Capable of interfacing and actively building and maintaining relationships with all levels of management
• Demonstrated strong interpersonal skills - coaching and guidance capability – with very strong skills in mediation
• Understands and identifies several likely causes or consequences of a situation from previous experience and applies this in current situations
• Is receptive to change and is willing to change ideas or opinions based on new information or contrary evidence
• Demonstrates the ability to establish the facts behind employee concerns by digging deeper, asking probing questions and challenging initial responses from different sources

More Information