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.
Employee relations manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real employee relations manager resumes:
- 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.
- Partner with compensation to determine employees are aligned to correct job codes and FLSA exemption status.
- Optimize use of new HRIS system, and head site's development of hourly applicant tracking system.
- Analyze jobs to ensure internal quality across job families and grade levels assessing compliance of FLSA exemptions.
- Enter new hires into ADP payroll system, post changes in pay and tax status, and miscellaneous changes.
- Play a key role in the delivery of the organization-wide ADP human resources, payroll and time keeping implementation and use.
- Serve as principal company representative at mediation and communications meetings.
- Identify significant oversight and non-compliance with Amish workers I9 requirement.
- Revise and implement FMLA leave administrative measures to reduce absenteeism ratios.
- Research and develop company policy and procedures regarding administration of FMLA.
Employee relations manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 9% of Employee Relations Managers are proficient in Performance Management, Management System, and Conflict Resolution. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Listening skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Employee Relations Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Performance Management, 9%
Provided managers/supervisor employee relations/performance management training.
- Management System, 7%
Developed and executed UST's enterprise risk management system and served as Lead Risk Counsel.
- Conflict Resolution, 5%
Coached and trained managers in performance assessment, conflict resolution, behavioral interviewing, and change management, increasing effective communication.
- Labor Relations, 5%
Developed and executed the labor relations strategy in a traditional USWA unionized environment during a period of transition and change.
- Employment Law, 5%
Leveraged expertise in California employment law and FMLA processing to proactively address policy and compliance issues.
- Employee Engagement, 4%
Collaborated with the Learning and Development team to design employee engagement training and curriculum for leadership development programs.
Most employee relations managers use their skills in "performance management," "management system," and "conflict resolution" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential employee relations manager responsibilities here:
Interpersonal skills. A big part of what employee relations managers do relies on "interpersonal skills." You can see how essential it is to employee relations manager responsibilities because "human resources managers regularly interact with people, such as to collaborate on teams, and must develop working relationships with their colleagues." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical employee relations manager tasks: "facilitated communication workshops/training programs to increase awareness and appreciation of varying styles eliminating interpersonal conflict and increasing employee productivity. "
Leadership skills. Another common skill required for employee relations manager responsibilities is "leadership skills." This skill comes up in the duties of employee relations managers all the time, as "human resources managers must coordinate work activities and ensure that staff complete the duties and responsibilities of their department." An excerpt from a real employee relations manager resume shows how this skill is central to what an employee relations manager does: "facilitated union contract administration / guidance with store leadership, including grievance disposition, arbitration hearings, and nlrb responses. "
Organizational skills. Another skill commonly found on employee relations manager job descriptions is "organizational skills." It can come up quite often in employee relations manager duties, since "human resources managers must be able to prioritize tasks and manage several projects at once." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day employee relations manager responsibilities: "direct organizational and career development for 800 non-union employees, focusing on employee relations, succession planning, policy and procedures. "
The three companies that hire the most employee relations managers are:
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Compare different employee relations managers
Employee relations manager vs. Director of talent acquisition
A director of talent acquisition is primarily responsible for spearheading the development of strategies that will help a company to narrow down and acquire talented individuals. Typically, they must set goals and budgets, coordinate with stakeholders or higher-ranking officials, review and assess the performance of the talent acquisition team, and conduct training and meetings. Furthermore, as director, it is essential to implement all policies and regulations, craft new ones if necessary, all while shaping the team into an efficient workforce.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, employee relations manager responsibilities require skills like "management system," "conflict resolution," "labor relations," and "employment law." Meanwhile a typical director of talent acquisition has skills in areas such as "human resources," "ta," "healthcare," and "continuous improvement." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Directors of talent acquisition tend to make the most money working in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $135,636. In contrast, employee relations managers make the biggest average salary, $87,349, in the retail industry.The education levels that directors of talent acquisition earn slightly differ from employee relations managers. In particular, directors of talent acquisition are 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an employee relations manager. Additionally, they're 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Employee relations manager vs. Recruitment director
A recruitment director is an executive professional who is responsible for directing the recruitment processes and employment programs for an organization. This director is required to assess the external labor market conditions while developing the most effective and appropriate recruiting channels and methods. The director must ensure that all their recruiting activities are following the policies and standards of the organization. This director must also maintain good relationships with all agencies that are involved with advertisement and employee recruitment.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that employee relations manager responsibilities requires skills like "management system," "conflict resolution," "labor relations," and "employment law." But a recruitment director might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "human resources," "healthcare," "recruitment process," and "recruitment strategies."
On average, recruitment directors earn a higher salary than employee relations managers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, recruitment directors earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $114,999. Whereas employee relations managers have higher pay in the retail industry, with an average salary of $87,349.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Recruitment directors tend to reach similar levels of education than employee relations managers. In fact, they're 3.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for employee relations managers in the next 3-5 years?
Karen Sharp-Price
Instructor/Career Consultant, Daemen College
Just over the past year, video conferencing and video chat has become mainstream for most companies. Learning how to maneuver and use the many different forms of video conferencing has become an everyday occurrence now for companies. Companies that said they could never go fully remote have done so and found not only that it can be done but done well with all this technology. But in the near future, you will see many new features added to all of these mediums to enhance the experience for employees and companies to communicate with co-workers, near and far. This technology has been around for a long time but is not used to its fullest extent. Due to the pandemic, it is heavily used, and I don't see us reverting back to our old ways but only improving upon how to better utilize technology in our businesses going forward.
Employee relations manager vs. Human resources vice president
Human resources (HR) vice presidents play a vital role in the effective administration and operation of an organization's HR department. These executives are responsible for directing an organization's staffing goals and developing strategies to support the company's profitable and productive business operations. HR vice presidents also perform other duties and responsibilities, including planning payroll and employee benefits, facilitating the enforcement of standardized HR processes, and recommending new measures for employee performance evaluations. The skills and qualifications for this position include previous experience as an HR director, strong leadership skills, and in-depth knowledge of HR processes.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from employee relations manager resumes include skills like "management system," "conflict resolution," "corrective action," and "disciplinary actions," whereas a human resources vice president is more likely to list skills in "workforce planning," "customer service," "oversight," and "human capital. "
Human resources vice presidents make a very good living in the manufacturing industry with an average annual salary of $178,898. On the other hand, employee relations managers are paid the highest salary in the retail industry, with average annual pay of $87,349.Most human resources vice presidents achieve a similar degree level compared to employee relations managers. For example, they're 4.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Employee relations manager vs. Human resource officer
A human resources officer is typically in charge of managing and handling the employment operations in the company, including the payroll and training systems. Their responsibilities revolve around participating in advertising job openings, interviewing applicants, training and managing new employees, and devising programs that will help them learn about the policies and regulations of the company. Furthermore, a human resources officer is also responsible for managing employee data, such as personal information and work attendance, processing payroll, and handling any issues or concerns.
Types of employee relations manager
Updated January 8, 2025
