Employee Relations Advisor

12 Week Temporary Contract

This role is not a generalist HR Advisor role, but a role that focuses solely on supporting with employee relations cases.

The Employee Relations (ER) Advisor will be a vital member of our Advice Service team, delivering clear, practical and timely guidance on Thames Water’s ER policies and processes. We’re looking for someone who is confident, customer-focused, and skilled in navigating complex employee relations matters, with strong knowledge of People policies, procedures and supporting systems.

What you’ll be doing as an ER Advisor

Providing a professional front-line advisory service that supports managers with HR policy, process and system queries, aiming to resolve as many at the first point of contact.  These queries specifically relate to employee relations. This is not a generalist HR Advisor role but a specialist one, and so good experience in employee relations matters is critical to be successful in this role.
Supporting the line manager to manage cases such as conduct matters, capability, absence, medical capability, grievance and other HR issues, including suspensions and investigations. This may include reviewing investigation reports and complex letters or communications. 
Taking responsibility for your own workload and owning queries/cases through to resolution; communicating effectively with all involved in a timely manner. 
Maintaining case management records to ensure they are clear, concise and in line with GDPR.
Coaching managers on all aspects of people management, including communication, robust decision making, fairness and consistency of application.Base Location: Reading – Hybrid.

We work to a hybrid model and meet regularly in the Reading office so you would be expected to travel to the Reading site. From time to time, you may be asked to visit one of the sites across the Thames Water patch.

Working Pattern: 36 Hours

What you should bring to the role 

Good time management.
Experience supporting managers with employee relations cases.
Ability to work to tight deadlines and mainly from home, therefore there is a need to be self-managed and focused, whilst not having a team physically around you.
Highly organised and responsive, with the ability to prioritise work to meet tight deadlines.
Confident and tenacious, taking ownership of issues to resolution in a timely manner.
Resilient and able to be flexible to change in demands, whilst remaining approachable.  
The ability to deal with difficult situations which may be personally challenging. 
Experience in SAP would be desirable.
CIPD qualification desirable.
Experience in managing challenging stakeholders.
Customer-focused, with a detailed knowledge of People policies and procedures.
The ability to work in an environment which is ever-changing. 
Contribute to Service Improvement: Support ad-hoc projects and continuous improvement initiatives by providing input, sharing insights, and collaborating with key stakeholders to help enhance the team’s service offering.What’s in it for you?

Competitive pay rate of £21.25 per hour.
The ability to own your own cases, partner with key stakeholders and build positive relationships with managers.
The ability to work in a warm and supportive team environment where no two days are the same, where you can have fun as well as work hard.
The chance to work for a business which is transforming, so there are lots of chances to make a difference.
The chance to develop and build on your already great employee relations experience. Who are we?
At Thames Water, our purpose is crystal clear - to deliver life’s essential service so our customers, communities and planet can thrive.
 
Water is life’s great leveller. Every living thing needs it, every single day. From people to plants, birds to bees, farms to factories, we all need it to thrive, and we’re committed to taking care of it for us all.
 
But keeping water flowing is becoming harder. From scorching summers to wetter winters, extreme weather affects everything from our pipes to our local rivers. We need to keep millions more kettles boiling, public services operating, washing machines spinning, showers running and more, so every drop is more precious than ever. Are you ready to play your part?

Working at Thames Water

At Thames Water we recognise that people are at the heart of our business. To help us succeed in providing life's essential service, we need a range of skills and capabilities, representative of society throughout our business.

We seek to attract and retain a cultural mix of people who can offer different but complementary attitudes, values, talents, and knowledge. We understand the importance of appreciating and harnessing the unique skills, experiences, background, and differences that each individual brings.

Our over-arching diversity and inclusion aim is to ensure Thames Water is a diverse and inclusive great place to work. We encourage applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process
Find out more about working at Thames Water.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business, meet colleagues and earn some extra money along the way.

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment