Post job

Explore jobs

Find specific jobs

Explore careers

Explore professions

Best companies

Explore companies

OverviewJobsSalarySkills

What They Do

EducationCertificationsDemographicsJob DescriptionHow To HireBest CompaniesBest StatesBest CitiesRemote JobsJob OutlookCompareEntry Level jobsWork From Home jobs

What does an employee relations representative do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted expert
Tina Kowalski

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.

On this page

Employee relations representative responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real employee relations representative resumes:

  • 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.
  • Prepare workforce relate information and document transactions in Peoplesoft regarding hires, promotions, transfers and terminations.
  • Draft separation notices, conduct exit interviews and provide departing employees with determination of benefits including cobra and final paychecks.
  • Organize files for various unions including ALPA, AFA, IAM and CWA.
  • Target minority recruiting strategies fulfilling the company's AAP requirements.
  • Perform all human capital management functions relate to UAW represent employees.
  • Monitor weekly timekeeping and administer discipline in accordance with the UAW contract and corporate disciplinary procedures.
  • Conduct administration of severance packages, retirement information, benefit and cobra information amid schedule reductions and termination.

Employee relations representative skills and personality traits

We calculated that 7% of Employee Relations Representatives are proficient in Performance Management, Labor Relations, and Human Resources Policies. They’re also known for soft skills such as Listening skills, Writing skills, and Detail oriented.

We break down the percentage of Employee Relations Representatives that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Performance Management, 7%

    Counseled plant management through the performance management process and supported functional management with talent acquisition, promotions and Human Resources training.

  • Labor Relations, 6%

    Labor relations support, with contract interpretation for management and employees identified under collective bargaining agreements.

  • Human Resources Policies, 6%

    Administered human resources policies and procedures that pertained to employee relations, both hourly and salaried positions.

  • Conflict Resolution, 5%

    Developed solutions by collecting and analyzing information and recommend a course of action as it related to conflict resolution.

  • Employment Law, 5%

    Provided advisement regarding employment law and assisted in mediation between parties engaged in a complaint process.

  • HRIS, 5%

    Conducted disciplinary action and termination investigations and tracked information regarding investigations via HRIS system.

"performance management," "labor relations," and "human resources policies" are among the most common skills that employee relations representatives use at work. You can find even more employee relations representative responsibilities below, including:

Listening skills. One of the key soft skills for an employee relations representative to have is listening skills. You can see how this relates to what employee relations representatives do because "listening skills are essential for labor relations specialists." Additionally, an employee relations representative resume shows how employee relations representatives use listening skills: "conducted exit interviews, analyzed turnover rates and trends, developed summary reports and communicated recommendations. "

Writing skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling employee relations representative duties is writing skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "all labor relations specialists need strong writing skills to be effective at their job." According to an employee relations representative resume, here's how employee relations representatives can utilize writing skills in their job responsibilities: "recommended employee disciplinary actions and assisted managers in writing discipline notices and performance evaluations. "

Detail oriented. This is an important skill for employee relations representatives to perform their duties. For an example of how employee relations representative responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "specialists must be detail oriented when evaluating labor laws and maintaining records of an employee grievance." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an employee relations representative: "key results: maintained detailed records regarding each separation and unemployment claim for monthly billing and to track unemployment claims. ".

Interpersonal skills. A big part of what employee relations representatives do relies on "interpersonal skills." You can see how essential it is to employee relations representative responsibilities because "interpersonal skills are essential for labor relations specialists." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical employee relations representative tasks: "develop interpersonal relationships with labor unions, employment agencies, and local businesses. "

Most common employee relations representative skills

The three companies that hire the most employee relations representatives are:

Choose from 10+ customizable employee relations representative resume templates

Build a professional employee relations representative resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your employee relations representative resume.
Employee Relations Representative Resume
Employee Relations Representative Resume
Employee Relations Representative Resume
Employee Relations Representative Resume
Employee Relations Representative Resume
Employee Relations Representative Resume
Employee Relations Representative Resume
Employee Relations Representative Resume
Employee Relations Representative Resume
Employee Relations Representative Resume
Employee Relations Representative Resume
Employee Relations Representative Resume
Employee Relations Representative Resume
Employee Relations Representative Resume
Employee Relations Representative Resume
Employee Relations Representative Resume

Compare different employee relations representatives

Employee relations representative vs. Recruiter associate

A recruiter associate is responsible for supporting the human resources department of an organization on their staffing processes. Recruiter associates identify a department's staffing needs and coordinate with the hiring managers for their requirements and qualifications on a job opening. They update the company's online job boards, as well as posting on various social media platforms as instructed. A recruiter associate carefully filters the application, selects potential applicants, schedules interviews and assessment, and assists the successful candidate on the submission of documents during onboarding.

If we compare the average employee relations representative annual salary with that of a recruiter associate, we find that recruiter associates typically earn a $6,327 lower salary than employee relations representatives make annually.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between employee relations representatives and recruiter associates are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like hris, applicant tracking systems, and peoplesoft.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, employee relations representative responsibilities require skills like "excellent time management," "performance management," "labor relations," and "human resources policies." Meanwhile a typical recruiter associate has skills in areas such as "customer service," "human resources," "source candidates," and "eeo." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Recruiter associates earn the highest salaries when working in the finance industry, with an average yearly salary of $64,450. On the other hand, employee relations representatives are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $70,539.recruiter associates tend to reach similar levels of education than employee relations representatives. In fact, recruiter associates are 4.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Employee relations representative vs. Benefit specialist

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.

Benefit specialist positions earn lower pay than employee relations representative roles. They earn a $12,060 lower salary than employee relations representatives per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both employee relations representatives and benefit specialists have skills such as "hris," "fmla," and "workers compensation. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real employee relations representative resumes. While employee relations representative responsibilities can utilize skills like "excellent time management," "performance management," "labor relations," and "human resources policies," benefit specialists use skills like "customer service," "hr," "patients," and "life insurance."

Benefit specialists may earn a lower salary than employee relations representatives, but benefit specialists earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $54,117. On the other hand, employee relations representatives receive higher pay in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $70,539.benefit specialists earn lower levels of education than employee relations representatives in general. They're 6.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.
Learn more about employee relations representatives vs benefit specialists.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for employee relations representatives in the next 3-5 years?

Tina KowalskiTina Kowalski LinkedIn profile

Human resources manager, Kowalskis Markets

Actually, with the current situation in our country and businesses, it will be even more important to educate, communicate, and train employees. Set employees up for success. Make sure employees have the resources and tools to make right decisions and be part of their employment.

Employee relations representative vs. Human resource specialist

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.

An average human resource specialist eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of employee relations representatives. The difference in salaries amounts to human resource specialists earning a $7,673 lower average salary than employee relations representatives.Using the responsibilities included on employee relations representatives and human resource specialists resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "performance management," "labor relations," and "human resources policies.rdquo;

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 representative resumes include skills like "excellent time management," "conflict resolution," "employment law," and "federal laws," whereas a human resource specialist is more likely to list skills in "data entry," "oversight," "life insurance," and "customer service. "

Human resource specialists make a very good living in the government industry with an average annual salary of $67,295. On the other hand, employee relations representatives are paid the highest salary in the manufacturing industry, with average annual pay of $70,539.When it comes to education, human resource specialists tend to earn similar degree levels compared to employee relations representatives. In fact, they're 3.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.
Learn more about employee relations representatives vs human resource specialists.

Employee relations representative vs. Staffing consultant

A staffing consultant develops and maintains the accounts of clients through outside and inside organizational activities. Staffing consultants induct, assess, and monitor the job applicants preparing them for their assignments. They match jobs to applicants and the candidates to their jobs. Their duties include helping both employees and employers in their respective responsibilities. They also act as business development and sales consultant to talent acquisition firms.

Staffing consultants average a lower salary than the annual salary of employee relations representatives. The difference is about $19,979 per year.While their salaries may vary, employee relations representatives and staffing consultants both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "employment law," "hris," and "applicant tracking systems. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. An employee relations representative uses "excellent time management," "performance management," "labor relations," and "human resources policies." Staffing consultants are more likely to have duties that require skills in "r," "direct hire," "criminal background checks," and "business development. "staffing consultants reach lower levels of education compared to employee relations representatives, in general. The difference is that they're 7.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.
Learn more about employee relations representatives vs staffing consultants.

Types of employee relations representative

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs