EY Employee Relations Specialist Senior Associate 

South Africa, Gauteng, Johannesburg 

273893332

As an Employee Relations Specialist (ERS), you will work as part of the centralized Employee Relations Team to conduct and manage employee relations matters from start to finish, including acting as the initiation in hearings. You will be responsible for addressing and resolving employee inquiries on a wide range of internal workplace topics and will partner closely with different stakeholders during the different stages of each review. In addition to your role in managing employee matters, you will also provide consultation and guidance to Talent Consultants (HR Business Partners) with support from ER leadership. You will act as a consultant to management on policies, procedures, and specific discipline. You may guide and support managers and Talent with performance management processes. This position is responsible for escalating complex issues to senior members of the Employee Relations team or the Investigation Team members as appropriate. You will be responsible for momitoring employee relations records in a centralized system. In this role, there may also be opportunities to assist on the design, implementation, and/or updating of policies, processes, and analytic efforts.

You will manage, summarize, and resolve complex employee relations issues that have moderate risk and may involve Firm Leadership (PPMDDs). You will also assess situations to understand the situation, develop an approach to review the matter, summarize the matter, and provide guidance and outcomes to Talent/HR. You may work with other stakeholders including: General Counsel Office (GCO), Quality & Risk Management (Q&RM), Employee Assistance Program (EAP), etc. You will maintain and track all matters in a centralized database, follow documentation and reporting standards, and maintain confidentiality. In addition, you may conduct detailed reporting and analysis to look for trends and make recommendations for employee trainings, awareness, communications and more.

Skills and attributes for success

• You will have experience resolving complex employee relations matters including those involving Firm Leadership (PPMDDs).
• You maintain the highest levels of confidentiality.
• You will have solid knowledge of HR law & practices.
• You will have critical thinking skills that allow you to manage complex employee situations.
• You will have experience preparing well-written deliverables, which will ideally include summary memos or other internal documents.
• You will have experience conducting interviews within the Human Resources space.
• You will have excellent time management and project management skills and experience balancing multiple and competing priorities.

To qualify for this role, you must have

• 5+ years related work experience
• Ability to interact with individuals at all levels within the firm and maintain professionalism and confidentiality
• Strong attention to detail, time management and prioritization skills, with solid track record of managing multiple projects/cases simultaneously
• Excellent written communication skills and an ability to convey complex facts, perspectives, and conclusions in a way that’s clear to any audience; experience with legal writing preferred
• Strong interviewing skills
• Ability to influence multiple constituents and engage in respectful dialogue in cases of disagreement
• Solid networking skills and the ability to build relationships
• Works independently on recurring projects but is not afraid to seek guidance or consult with colleagues for alternative views/suggestions
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience

Ideally, you’ll also have

• A qualification related to Labour Legislation.
• Ability to quickly learn the business of the Firm or have a solid understanding of internal practices and procedures