Employee relations representative vs human resource specialist

The differences between employee relations representatives and human resource 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 human resource specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an employee relations representative has an average salary of $60,816, which is higher than the $53,143 average annual salary of a human resource 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 human resource specialist are data entry, oversight, and life insurance.

Employee relations representative vs human resource specialist overview

	Employee Relations Representative	Human Resource Specialist
Yearly salary	$60,816	$53,143
Hourly rate	$29.24	$25.55
Growth rate	-3%	8%
Number of jobs	35,780	50,511
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	41	41
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 human resource specialist do?

A human resources specialist is responsible for assisting in the recruitment and staffing process. Duties of a human resources specialist include updating the requirements and qualifications of a job post, handling employees' inquiries regarding compensation and benefits, maintaining employees' records, updating the status of new joiners, tracking performance reviews, and generating reports as business requires. A human resource specialist must be detail-oriented, as well as excellent in organizational and communication skills. Additionally, a human resource specialist must have a broad knowledge of the recruitment process and structure.

Employee relations representative vs human resource specialist salary

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

	Employee Relations Representative	Human Resource Specialist
Average salary	$60,816	$53,143
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $91,000	Between $36,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	Google	Meta
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Government

Differences between employee relations representative and human resource specialist education

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

	Employee Relations Representative	Human Resource Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Pennsylvania

Employee relations representative vs human resource specialist demographics

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

	Employee Relations Representative	Human Resource Specialist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 34.3% Female, 65.7%	Male, 26.9% Female, 73.1%
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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 7.6% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between employee relations representative and human resource 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.

Human resource specialist example responsibilities.

Manage site KRONOS payroll, time and attendance, and vacation tracking for hourly.
Manage new hire and current employee paperwork that includes status change forms, W-4s, I-9s, etc.
Lead a compliance initiative to ensure successful transition to the e-Verify employment verification process.
Integrate efforts on actions and programs where joint OPM functional effort are necessary to accomplish recruitment and enhance organizational effectiveness.
Advise, coach, and counsele managers and Sr.
Assist with affirmative action reporting, VETS100 and EEO-1 submission.

Employee relations representative vs human resource 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 human resource specialist skills

Data Entry, 10%
Oversight, 9%
Life Insurance, 9%
Human Resources Policies, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Timekeeping, 5%

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Employee Relations Representative
Employee Relations Representative vs Human Resource Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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