Employee relations specialist vs human resources supervisor

The differences between employee relations specialists and human resources supervisors 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 specialist, becoming a human resources supervisor takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a human resources supervisor has an average salary of $64,757, which is higher than the $56,574 average annual salary of an employee relations specialist.

The top three skills for an employee relations specialist include performance management, excellent interpersonal and corrective action. The most important skills for a human resources supervisor are customer service, state laws, and payroll processing.

Employee relations specialist vs human resources supervisor overview

	Employee Relations Specialist	Human Resources Supervisor
Yearly salary	$56,574	$64,757
Hourly rate	$27.20	$31.13
Growth rate	-3%	7%
Number of jobs	30,109	46,523
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	41	47
Years of experience	4	6

What does an employee relations specialist do?

An employee relations specialist is someone who identifies the recruitment needs of employers. The specialist collects and analyzes employee data, organizes and updates employee files, and oversees employee orientation and training. Employee relations specialists promote colleges' majors to employers through mass mailings, off-site employer visits, and cold calls. They help with on-campus recruitment events and manage employment opportunity posting. The skills necessary for this job include customer service, communications skills, knowledge in software applications, and attention to detail.

What does a human resources supervisor do?

A human resources supervisor is an individual responsible for developing and administering human resources programs so that the company can achieve efficient operations. Human resources supervisors coordinate all stages of the hiring process, such as checking all candidates' backgrounds, conducting interviews, and drug screening. They address conflicts among employees, investigate employee problems, and work with management to administer employee discipline or corrective action. The human resources supervisor also develops training and development programs for their salaried employees.

Employee relations specialist vs human resources supervisor salary

Employee relations specialists and human resources supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Employee Relations Specialist	Human Resources Supervisor
Average salary	$56,574	$64,757
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $81,000	Between $47,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Adobe	Genentech
Best paying industry	Finance	Manufacturing

Differences between employee relations specialist and human resources supervisor education

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

	Employee Relations Specialist	Human Resources Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Pennsylvania

Employee relations specialist vs human resources supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between employee relations specialists' and human resources supervisors' demographics:

	Employee Relations Specialist	Human Resources Supervisor
Average age	41	47
Gender ratio	Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4%	Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	18%

Differences between employee relations specialist and human resources supervisor duties and responsibilities

Employee relations specialist example responsibilities.

Manage and implement improvements to UK recruitment and inductions/orientation.
Gather and document information to achieve litigation free outcomes or successfully defend company.
Manage departmental restructuring & redundancy program for engineering operations across two UK locations.
Generate HRIS reports and manage personnel files, management information, and candidate data utilizing standardize reporting systems.
Advise on legal compliance (e.g., ADA, FMLA, harassment) and contract and policy interpretation.
Administer to ADA, FLSA, FMLA/ PDL/ CFRA, and retirement.

Human resources supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage and lead service team initiatives/special projects (i.e., ADP conversion, corporate mergers, and teamwork events).
Manage HRIS database system and provide monthly reports to executive management.
Manage job-reclassification project, conducting occupational research to determine if job titles are synchronized with FLSA norms.
Utilize KRONOS and ADP to import and process payroll.
Review all exempt positions to determine classification and conduct audits to ensure FLSA compliance.
Maintain all company leave of absence (including work-relate injuries, non work-relate leaves and FMLA, etc .).

Employee relations specialist vs human resources supervisor skills

Common employee relations specialist skills

Performance Management, 6%
Excellent Interpersonal, 5%
Corrective Action, 5%
Management System, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
Conflict Resolution, 5%

Common human resources supervisor skills

Customer Service, 22%
State Laws, 9%
Payroll Processing, 5%
Personnel Actions, 4%
HRIS, 4%
ISO, 3%

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Employee Relations Specialist
Employee Relations Specialist vs Human Resources Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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