Benefits manager vs employee relations manager

The differences between benefits managers and employee relations managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a benefits manager and an employee relations manager. Additionally, an employee relations manager has an average salary of $81,465, which is higher than the $64,064 average annual salary of a benefits manager.

The top three skills for a benefits manager include HR, customer service and HRIS. The most important skills for an employee relations manager are performance management, management system, and conflict resolution.

Benefits manager vs employee relations manager overview

	Benefits Manager	Employee Relations Manager
Yearly salary	$64,064	$81,465
Hourly rate	$30.80	$39.17
Growth rate	2%	7%
Number of jobs	11,164	41,544
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	46	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a benefits manager do?

A benefits manager is primarily in charge of overseeing and handling a company's benefits programs and projects for employees. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with human resources to gather accurate data, improve existing benefits programs, and creating new ones in adherence to the company's policies and regulations. A benefits manager may also liaise with external agencies, develop activities for employee welfare, and resolve any issues regarding the benefits programs. Furthermore, they may perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports and presentations, manage budgets, and maintain records of all transactions.

What does an employee relations manager do?

An employee relations manager's responsibilities revolve around maintaining a strong professional relationship between employees and a company's management. They are also in charge of resolving conflicts and issues within the workplace, providing technical support on all employee programs, developing orientation and workshop activities among trainees and new members of the workforce, and addressing their concerns promptly and professionally. Furthermore, there are instances when an employee relations manager must conduct investigations, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Benefits manager vs employee relations manager salary

Benefits managers and employee relations managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Benefits Manager	Employee Relations Manager
Average salary	$64,064	$81,465
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $104,000	Between $59,000 And $112,000
Highest paying City	Philadelphia, PA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	Washington
Best paying company	Microsoft	Meta
Best paying industry	Technology	Retail

Differences between benefits manager and employee relations manager education

There are a few differences between a benefits manager and an employee relations manager in terms of educational background:

	Benefits Manager	Employee Relations Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Northwestern University

Benefits manager vs employee relations manager demographics

Here are the differences between benefits managers' and employee relations managers' demographics:

	Benefits Manager	Employee Relations Manager
Average age	46	47
Gender ratio	Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7%	Male, 40.9% Female, 59.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 8.2% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	35%	18%

Differences between benefits manager and employee relations manager duties and responsibilities

Benefits manager example responsibilities.

Lead a successful transition of payroll, time and labor, benefits and general ledger to PeopleSoft.
Collaborate with ADP to ensure system readiness and manage benefit communications.
Lead departmental PeopleSoft projects and initiatives; involve in systems testing when additional system upgrades are implemented.
Coordinate annual open enrollment, update benefits within HRIS, reconcile monthly statements and approve premium statements for payment.
Insure HIPPA compliance as it relates to payroll and human resources.
Create monthly charge back reports for FSA and all other benefits for finance.

Employee relations manager example responsibilities.

Lead office through OFCCP audit and manage compliance with a conciliation agreement.
Manage and publish several cost-savings models for Sr. level management.
Provide litigation support to counsel which include representation at depositions, mediation and settlement conferences, and trial document preparation.
File EEO-1, ACA annually.
Provide oversight for all unemployment claims, successfully defending all unfound claims.
Serve as chief spokesperson and advisor on all labor and employee relations matters.

Benefits manager vs employee relations manager skills

Common benefits manager skills

HR, 10%
Customer Service, 7%
HRIS, 6%
HIPAA, 5%
Life Insurance, 5%
Open Enrollment, 5%

Common employee relations manager skills

Performance Management, 9%
Management System, 7%
Conflict Resolution, 5%
Labor Relations, 5%
Employment Law, 5%
Employee Engagement, 4%

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Benefits Manager
Benefits Manager vs Employee Relations Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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