Senior People Relations Advisor

Job responsibilities

JOB SUMMARY

The post holder will be responsible for the Trust wide operational workforce provision and will provide a comprehensive, professional and business focussed service in line with best people management practices.

Provide high quality advice and support on people issues, including workforce management, development and employee relations in all designated areas. This will involve coaching and advising senior managers and employees on a range of complex employment practices, policies and terms and conditions, in particular supporting the resolution of ER matters via a just culture, learning, restorative practice approach and effective teams ethos.

A key area of work will be to lead on the implementation of the Trusts initiatives and workstreams to transform its services and workforce, advising on solution-focused people interventions to achieve organisational change and move to a just culture framework where learning and high functioning teams are the primary aim.

The post holder, together with colleagues in the People and Workforce team will be expected to support and deliver on South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust being a Great Place to Work.

The delivery of key strategic outcomes will be:-

Employees Feeling safe

Supportive (healthy) teams

Keeping fit and well ( wellbeing of the employees)

Developing potential

My voice counts (employee engagement)

KEY RESULT AREAS:

Advise and support managers in a wide range of employment relations issues, including complex cases relating to managing conduct, performance, andattendance, the recruitment and selection of staff, equality and diversity, maternity regulations, harassment and bullying, grievance and dispute issues. You will need to provide clear, consistent and practical advice that is in line with up-to-date best practice, relevant employment law and Trust policies and culture.

Advise panels at hearings and appeals and assisting the PR Operational Lead with preparation of Employment Tribunal cases etc.

• Manage a complex individual caseload, including providing professional support, advice, guidance and coaching to employees and managers on matters such as resolution and learning, investigations, disciplinaries and attendance. The post holder should be solution focussed, resolving issues independently and only referring and discussing highly complex issues to their line manager where appropriate. The role includes ensuring consistency in approach, responsibility for meeting approariate time frames and minimising harm to employees facing formal action by ensuring appropriate support is in place for the individual and witnesses.

• Coaching and managing the work of PR Advisors on more complex case management.

Establish effective working relationships with managers, staff-side and staff promoting a partnership approach in decision-making and problem solving.

• Lead on the improvement of the people performance key indicators for each Care Group / corporate services including effective attendance mangement, mandatory training, appraisals, reducing the need for and length of suspensions and formal ER cases by the use of a just culture approach to resolution, learning and restorative practice.

• Ensure appropriate professional challenge to managers where a resolution approach is not chosen or timescales are not met, escalating any issues identified to line manager once appropriate action has been taken.

• Provide a KPI report each month as required by Associate Director of People Operations giving details of where targets are not met with justification.

• Work with managers and employees to promote more flexible ways of employing and rewarding staff, supporting line managers to be the best leaders and managers and helping to attract and retain staff.

Work collaboratively with colleagues in Care Groups, IT, Finance, Integrated Change team and Staff side to improve services and their efficiency via organisational change process. The Operational PR teams role in these projects is to provide challenge and advice to facilitate delivery of projects which maximise the efficient working of staff and their engagement. This will include engaging staff and staff side in proposed change considerations prior to any decisions and formal consultation.

Manage the policy timetable as delegated. Write and review workforce policies that are inclusive, represent a just culture approach and are easily understood, meeting employment law and best practice requirements. Ensure managers, staff and staff side engagement and that the employees voice is heard and appropriate research undertaken. Lead on the consultation, and implementation process once policies are ratified.

Work on a rotational basis as lead specialist for managing attendance, acting as the first point of contact for line managers with members of staff absent on long term sick.

o The post holder will ensure that appropriate actions are taken, including working with managers / occupational health to have an active plan to support a return to work within appropriate timescales.

o The postholder will work to reduce the Trust sickness absence KPI requiring the use of a range of information, analysing data and reasons for high levels of sickness absence in services, considering all options to ensure work is undertaken to turn the situation around to having high performing and effectively managed teams.

o Provide accurate, comprehensive and timely data to line managers to ensure the effective monitoring of long term sickness absence. Develop and maintain People and Workforce (PR) systems to ensure the accurate recording and reporting of data relating to long term sickness. Regularly meet with senior managers in the people directorate, identifying and providing detailed and accurate information regarding the management of long term sickness absence, highlighting issues that have not been resolved.

Support the People Business Partners / People Directorate colleagues and work with managers to address recruitment and retention issues, providing professional advice to support the Trust to fill vacancies and retain a valued workforce and in doing so support and promote the Trusts recruitment and retention strategy to deliver safe, effective and caring services.

Contribute effectively to the People, Wellbeing and Transformation portfolio agendas including, Health and Wellbeing, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and promote a restorative approach to resolve relationship conflicts that arisewith in the Trust.

Support the development of wellbeing initiatives and action plans from the staff wellbeing and engagement survey and promote these within the Care Groups.

Participate in the design and delivery of training and coaching interventions to support Managers in fulfilling their responsibilities in effective management of people and resources.

Engage in personal continuous professional development to build own knowledge of employment legislation and case law, taking advantage of training provided to the People Directorate which will then impact on the level of service and advice provided to Trust colleagues. Actively develop OD skills and those required to undertake restorative practice meetings.

Support the development and implementation of the e-PR system to provide quick and accessible advice and guidance to managers and staff.

Contribute to the transformation process of the Operational PR function, being involved in discussions about new ways of working and how this will continuously improve the PR service offer to the Care Groups.

Participate in People and Workforce (PR) meetings, leading on specific project work as required.

For full details of the role please see the supporting documents attached.

At the time of advertising, this role does not meet the minimum requirements set by UK Visas and Immigration to sponsor candidates to work in the UK. For this reason, we are unable to sponsor anyone for a skilled worker visa for this role.

We are happy to accept applications from candidates who can prove their right to work in the UK or via alternative visa routes. Such applications will be considered alongside all other applications.

We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms. We strongly discourage this and will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form.

Experience

Essential

• Demonstrable experience and competence of working in a generalist People function and handling and coaching managers in complex employee relations cases e.g., managing attendance, disciplinary, grievance, organisational change, and resolution approaches).
• Evidence of excellent partnership working with trade unions and staff side.
• Demonstrable ability to deliver a high standard of customer service and a quality people function.
• Assertiveness to influence others within the team and across areas of responsibility.
• Able to express information in a clear, concise, and understandable way, both verbally and in writing.
• Able to listen carefully to understand the needs of others.

Desirable

• Experience of NHS job evaluation.
• Experience of working in public sector.
• Experience of supervising team members.

Physical Attributes

Essential

• Ability to undertake the duties and demands of the post. A satisfactory sickness record over the previous two years (subject to the need to act with fairness and equality of opportunity, particularly where the sickness is related to a disability and/or pregnancy).
• A Current driving licence and access to a car during the working day is essential (reasonable adjustments will be considered for any applicants who are unable to drive due to a disability).

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Enthusiastic and motivated with can do attitude.
• Evidence of the ability to manage conflict and sensitive situations, acting with tact and diplomacy.
• The ability to work on own initiative, responding to immediate requests.

Special Knowledge/Skills

Essential

• Demonstrates well founded knowledge of employment law and the ability to apply it practically to situations.
• Understanding of changes and developments / initiatives in the NHS people function.
• Have a developed understanding and proactive approach to equality and diversity issues.
• Ability to approach work related problems in a structured and analytical manner and to solve problems independently and implement theory effectively into practice.
• Manages own workload, prioritises effectively, and works to and consistently achieves deadlines / targets.
• Demonstrable ability to work effectively as a team member assisting colleagues to deliver team objectives while working on own initiative.
• Ability to supervise / manage team members and supporting and facilitating individual and team development.
• Experience of designing and delivering training and development programmes.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to persuade and establish credibility with staff at all levels of the organisation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Computer literacy with experience of analysing and interpreting workforce data for solution focussed approaches and information for managers.

Desirable

• Knowledge of NHS Terms and Conditions of Service.

Qualifications

Essential

• CIPD qualified at level 5 or higher, or significant experience in an employee relations role.
• Educated to Degree level or equivalent experience.
• Associate Level CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and development).

Training

Essential

• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development as a PR Practitioner.