Employee relations representative vs benefit specialist

The differences between employee relations representatives and benefit specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an employee relations representative, becoming a benefit specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an employee relations representative has an average salary of $60,816, which is higher than the $48,756 average annual salary of a benefit specialist.

The top three skills for an employee relations representative include performance management, labor relations and human resources policies. The most important skills for a benefit specialist are customer service, HR, and patients.

Employee relations representative vs benefit specialist overview

	Employee Relations Representative	Benefit Specialist
Yearly salary	$60,816	$48,756
Hourly rate	$29.24	$23.44
Growth rate	-3%	7%
Number of jobs	35,780	31,663
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	41	45
Years of experience	4	6

What does an employee relations representative do?

Employee relations representatives are professionals who are responsible for negotiating the contracts of employees as well as offer overall support to them working for an organization. These representatives must deal with employee complaints in areas such as salary, pensions, and benefits while investigating potential disturbances in their workplace. They must educate their employees about the organization's personnel rules and practices as well as the state labor laws. Employee relations representatives must also keep complete and accurate employee records and provide guidance to limit potential lawsuits.

What does a benefit specialist do?

A benefits specialist is responsible for analyzing and processing the compensation package of an organization, ensuring that the salary and benefits received by an employee adhere to the current legislation procedures. Benefits specialists develop benefits programs, adjusting pension plans and insurance options as needed, and updating the employees on recent updates and changes. A benefits specialist responds to employees' inquiries, addresses their concerns, and manages benefits issues. A benefits specialist must have a clear understanding of benefits policies and processes to educate employees about the benefits structure.

Employee relations representative vs benefit specialist salary

Employee relations representatives and benefit specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Employee Relations Representative	Benefit Specialist
Average salary	$60,816	$48,756
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $91,000	Between $34,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Connecticut
Best paying company	Google	Qorvo
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Finance

Differences between employee relations representative and benefit specialist education

There are a few differences between an employee relations representative and a benefit specialist in terms of educational background:

	Employee Relations Representative	Benefit Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Pennsylvania

Employee relations representative vs benefit specialist demographics

Here are the differences between employee relations representatives' and benefit specialists' demographics:

	Employee Relations Representative	Benefit Specialist
Average age	41	45
Gender ratio	Male, 34.3% Female, 65.7%	Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 8.5% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 7.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between employee relations representative and benefit specialist duties and responsibilities

Employee relations representative example responsibilities.

Gather and document information to achieve litigation free outcomes or successfully defend company.
Process job injury payroll and time sheets utilizing Kronos and PeopleSoft systems.
Oversee all leaves of absence including short-term disability, long-term disability, FMLA, military leave and personal leave.
Participate in the selection and implementation process for the HRIS system and maintain applicant data entry for HRIS/Lawson application tracking system.
Research and analyze the implications of the FMLA legislation on company practices, and implement employee communication and corporate compliance procedures.
Conduct disciplinary action and termination investigations and track information regarding investigations via HRIS system.

Benefit specialist example responsibilities.

Manage various employee program such as life, medical, dental pension, and HSA accounts.
Examine HMO documents to verify eligibility to process or reject into or from a manage care plan when necessary.
Input daily time and PTO, manage benefits, report new hires, input sales, oversee accounts receivable.
Create reports using SQL database and manage reports, perform from internet-base tools for research projects need for client insight.
Implement new vendor for FSA administration and manage outstanding issues through continuous follow-up and vendor accountability.
Analyze, process and manage FMLA claims to determine eligibility and certification in compliance with state and federal regulations.

Employee relations representative vs benefit specialist skills

Common employee relations representative skills

Performance Management, 7%
Labor Relations, 6%
Human Resources Policies, 6%
Conflict Resolution, 5%
Employment Law, 5%
HRIS, 5%

Common benefit specialist skills

Customer Service, 13%
HR, 8%
Patients, 5%
HRIS, 5%
Life Insurance, 5%
Cobra, 5%

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Employee Relations Representative
Employee Relations Representative vs Benefit Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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