HR - Employee Relations Specialist

The primary purpose and function of the Employee Relations Specialist is to manage and maintain team member relations according to state and federal laws as well as Practice established guidelines and policies. This position will act as a subject matter expert and business partner with Field Operations to ensure consistent application of policies and procedures to support Practice goals.  ·  Manage team member relation activity for an assigned functional area/region according to state and federal laws as well as established policies and sound administrative practices.·  Provide advice and counsel to leadership on best practices driving retention and performance development.·  Manage and participate in the development, formulation, implementation and interpretation of goals, objectives, policies and priorities for assigned programs. Recommends appropriate course of action.·  Respond to and resolve difficult and sensitive inquiries, reports and complaints from all levels of the organization.·  Approve terminations, ensuring that reasons are well document and are not arbitrary or discriminatory in nature.·  Oversee adherence to EEOC and affirmative action by remaining informed on legislation affecting human resources.·  Regularly assess risk to Practice regarding employee relations, actions taken, policies created, etc.·  Formulate and coordinate the Practice’s position on lawsuits, hearings and charges (i.e.; EEOC claims) related to employment practices.·  Update Sr. Team Lead, RVP and Field Directors regarding turnover, identifying trends, program compliance, employee relation issues and other areas where operations and TR functions meet.·  Strategically partner as a member of the field leadership team by actively attending and participating in regular management meetings held by RVP’s.·  Motivate and stimulate supervisors and managers to ensure consistent, equal and fair treatment of team members.·  Act as a facilitator, counselor, business partner and mediator in arbitrating disputes between employees, supervisors, and managers.·  Utilize specialized training to perform in depth investigations, interviews, and interrogations regarding issues such as theft, fraud, pet abuse, harassment, and misconduct. ·  Evaluate and respond to ethics line calls; perform investigations, provide feedback and recommendations to leadership and Practice counsel.·  Deliver coaching or disciplinary action to doctors or field leadership as needed or requested by Senior Leadership.·  Review, approve, deny or provide recommendations regarding exception requests such as Keirsey, termination, and rehire status.·  Develop and implement a variety of training classes and development strategies.·  Provide day to day direction and guidance to ensure the most effective utilization of people resources to support the achievement of business unit objectives. ·  Participate in the development of short and long term business plans; work on HR design and development to support the business plans. Other job duties as assigned.  ·  Ability to work at a computer for long periods of time.  ·  Project timelines and work volume / deadlines may often require more than 40 hours per week to complete essential duties of this job.·  Must have mental processes for reasoning, remembering, mathematics and language ability (reading, writing, and speaking the English language) to perform the duties proficiently.·  The noise level in the work environment is normally moderate.Environment where Pets are present.  ·  Bachelor’s degree preferred, or the equivalent combination of education, training and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.·  Medical background (veterinary technician, human healthcare, pharmaceutical, etc.) with medical terminology training is preferred.·  Minimum five years professional level experience in employee relations is required with PHR/SPHR designation highly desirable.Strong HR background with direct experience in HR best practices and theories providing consistent, high quality results while working within complex or stressful situations preferred. Company: Banfield, The Pet HospitalLocation: Portland, OR 97213 Job Category: Human ResourcesStatus: Full Time, Employee