Employee relations specialists are key members of any HR department. Apart from playing an important role in workforce recruitment, they are responsible for managing human relations and interpersonal conflicts at the workplace.
As an employee relations specialist, you will conduct surveys and analyze employee data. But, perhaps, more importantly, you will provide counseling to staff members, helping them sort out workplace-related personal problems that might hinder their productivity.
You will arrange training opportunities for employees as well and manage their files and work-related documents. You will need a thorough insight into legislation regulating employment conditions within the company and in the larger context of the industry as well.
What is an Employee Relations Specialist?
What Does an Employee Relations Specialist Do
There are certain skills that many employee relations specialists have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed listening skills, writing skills and detail oriented.
How To Become an Employee Relations Specialist
If you're interested in becoming an employee relations specialist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 66.9% of employee relations specialists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 16.4% of employee relations specialists have master's degrees. Even though most employee relations specialists have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Employee Relations Specialist Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, an employee relations specialist can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as human resources manager, progress to a title such as director of human resources and then eventually end up with the title senior director human resources.
Average Salary for an Employee Relations Specialist
What Am I Worth?
Top Colleges for Employee Relations Specialists
1. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
4. Fordham University
Bronx, NY • Private
5. Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
6. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
7. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
9. University of Akron
Akron, OH • Private
10. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Top Skills For an Employee Relations Specialist
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 6.8% of employee relations specialists listed business partners on their resume, but soft skills such as listening skills and writing skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Employee Relations Specialist Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Employee Relations Specialist templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Employee Relations Specialist resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Employee Relations Specialist Demographics
Employee Relations Specialist Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among employee relations specialists, 69.4% of them are women, while 30.6% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among employee relations specialists is White, which makes up 63.3% of all employee relations specialists.
- The most common foreign language among employee relations specialists is Spanish at 58.4%.
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Best States For an Employee Relations Specialist
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an employee relations specialist. The best states for people in this position are Massachusetts, Michigan, Connecticut, and California. Employee relations specialists make the most in Massachusetts with an average salary of $79,646. Whereas in Michigan and Connecticut, they would average $74,014 and $70,845, respectively. While employee relations specialists would only make an average of $69,685 in California, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Massachusetts
$79,646
Avg. Salary
2. District of Columbia
$76,268
Avg. Salary
3. Rhode Island
$65,656
Avg. Salary
How Do Employee Relations Specialist Rate Their Jobs?
4.0
4.0
ERS • April 2020What do you like the most about working as Employee Relations Specialist?
communicating with employees Show MoreWhat do you NOT like?
It is not much I don't like but the upset employees would be my biggest dislike. Show MoreTop Employee Relations Specialist Employers
Most Common Employers For Employee Relations Specialist
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Express | $80,162 | $38.54 | 10 |
| 2 | Merck | $79,213 | $38.08 | 8 |
| 3 | Walgreens | $76,727 | $36.89 | 11 |
| 4 | T-Mobile | $72,249 | $34.74 | 18 |
| 5 | CVS Health | $69,624 | $33.47 | 14 |
| 6 | Associated Bank | $69,253 | $33.29 | 8 |
| 7 | Motorola Solutions | $69,244 | $33.29 | 17 |
| 8 | Lowe's Companies | $67,695 | $32.55 | 10 |
| 9 | Navy Federal Credit Union | $66,415 | $31.93 | 18 |
| 10 | General Electric | $65,446 | $31.46 | 11 |
Employee Relations Specialist Videos
Becoming an Employee Relations Specialist FAQs
How do I start a career in employee relations?
To start a career in employee relations, you'll need the right combination of educational and practical experience. This includes a bachelor's degree and some experience working in human resources-related roles.
What degree is needed for employee relations?
An associate's or bachelor's degree is needed for employee relations. In most cases, a bachelor's degree in human resources is preferred unless you have several years of human resource experience, such as working as an assistant.