ER Advisor

The Employee Relations Advisor will play a key role as part of the Advice Service team that is responsible for providing a front-line Employee Relations (ER) standards and process advice service to all of Thames Water’s managers. 

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 first point of contact as possible. These queries specifically relate to employee relations. This is not a generalist HR Advisor role but a specialist ER one and so good experience in employee relations matters is critical to be successful in this role.
• Supporting 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
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 focussed, 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
• Experience of managing challenging stakeholders
• Customer focussed, with a detailed knowledge of People policies and procedures
• The ability to work in an environment which is ever-changing

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary up to £40,000 per annum, depending on experience
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service (Plus bank holidays)
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.

Find out more about our benefits and perks

Who are we?
We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values

Working at Thames Water
Thames Water is a unique, rewarding and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.
Whether you’re interested in a role in one of our call centres or science labs, we’re looking for people like you with real passion and a burning desire to make things better.

So, if you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

Our overarching aim is to ensure that Thames Water is a great, diverse and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process. Our aim is to remove any real or perceived barriers to success, so if you need assistance, we’re here to help and support.

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.