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Employee relations specialist skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Laura McCloud Ph.D.,

J. Adam Shoemaker Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical employee relations specialist skills. We ranked the top skills for employee relations specialists based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 6.4% of employee relations specialist resumes contained performance management as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an employee relations specialist needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 employee relations specialist skills for your resume and career

1. Performance Management

Here's how employee relations specialists use performance management:

Applied strategies to improve productivity, performance staffing, workforce management, performance management, dispute resolution and policy administration.
Created training videos for administrative and academic faculty on topics of performance management, corrective action, harassment and discrimination.

2. Excellent Interpersonal

Here's how employee relations specialists use excellent interpersonal:

Have considerable knowledge of principles and practices of personnel administration, effective oral and written communication skills and excellent interpersonal skills.
Possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills with proven abilities in Induction Program and handling team relationships.

3. Corrective Action

Here's how employee relations specialists use corrective action:

Conducted internal investigations and extended disciplinary/corrective action recommendations.
Provided employee relations related to recruitment, compensation, corrective action, conflict resolutions and interpretation of policies and procedures.

4. Management System

A management system is a set of policies, processes, and procedures taken by an organization or a business to ensure it can fulfill its tasks and achieve its objectives. A management system makes sure that the company excels financially and improves the user experience. The management system also takes care of the worker's and employees' needs and manages their workload and oversees their performance. Apart from interior matters of the company, a management system also deals with exterior matters like legislations, tax matters, and law issues.

Here's how employee relations specialists use management system:

Maintain required documentation within case management system, including intake and investigative notes, supporting documents and final reports.
Manage knowledge management and case management systems, to improve contact center functions and encourage self-service resolutions.

5. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how employee relations specialists use customer service:

Communicated between internal programmers, customer service representatives and corporate managers to ensure a successful outsourcing project.
Provided exceptional customer service by responding to complex employee and departmental questions regarding pay and policy issues.

6. Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution is an often necessary skill in business, employed for processes such as contract negotiations, legal matters, and even personal, emotional situations and conflicts. It is the ability to find and create an appropriate and peaceful solution to some sort of dilemma or argument in which two or more parties are involved. The resolution itself must benefit and satisfy all parties and this is what makes it so difficult to reach a peaceful point sometimes.

Here's how employee relations specialists use conflict resolution:

Assisted line supervisors with labor related matters including discipline, transfers, promotions/demotions and conflict resolution.
Managed reporting functions and conducted conflict resolution, harassment, sexual assault and diversity training.

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7. Employment Law

Employment law іѕ the соllесtіоn of laws аnd rules that rеgulаtе thе rеlаtіоnѕhір bеtwееn employers and еmрlоуееѕ. It gоvеrnѕ whаt еmрlоуеrѕ саn еxресt from еmрlоуееѕ, whаt еmрlоуеrѕ саn ask of еmрlоуееѕ, and employees' rights аt wоrk. Employment law covers a wіdе range оf issues, frоm реnѕіоnѕ аnd retirement рlаnѕ to occupational safety аnd tо discrimination in thе workplace.

Here's how employee relations specialists use employment law:

Conducted timely and thorough internal investigations, responded to administrative charges and partnered closely with Employment Law to determine appropriate action.
Prepared manager briefings for company wide distribution on various topics including employment law, disciplinary action and requests for employment verification.

8. Employee Engagement

Here's how employee relations specialists use employee engagement:

Increased employee engagement through environmental assessments, recommendations to management and assistance in the implementation of action plans.
Contracted to conduct assessment of employee engagement, leadership effectiveness, communication of all business units/employees.

9. Disciplinary Actions

Disciplinary actions refer to a corrective measure taken against an employee for unsatisfactory behavior. Many work environments have a tiered system for disciplinary action, where the first warning is verbal and the second is written. Disciplinary action may be given after a weak performance review, a violation of company rules and policies, or a poor customer review.

Here's how employee relations specialists use disciplinary actions:

Conducted complex internal investigations and recommended/implemented disciplinary actions.
Investigated employee issues and conducted environment surveys involving complaints of harassment, working conditions, disciplinary actions, and employment decisions.

10. Leave Management

Here's how employee relations specialists use leave management:

Consult on leave management, including FMLA, STD and military leave.
Developed and implemented a comprehensive leave management program.

11. Labor Relations

Labor relations refer to the relationship between the employer and its employees. It usually deals with labor-management wherein it focuses on the collective bargaining agreement regarding work between the union of the employee in making decisions for the organization. On the other hand, findings mean the proper wages, hours of duty, working conditions, safety, and employee protection while at work, grievances, and other related concerns.

Here's how employee relations specialists use labor relations:

Established/maintained a positive labor relations climate by functioning as management representative to union leadership on labor contract issues unresolved by supervision.
Supervised state agency employees in the delivery of services to local governments in the areas of labor relations and classification/compensation planning.

12. Human Resources Policies

Here's how employee relations specialists use human resources policies:

Provide policy interpretation to employees and management on Human Resources policies and procedures as well as advised management on progressive discipline.
Monitored and enforced adherence to company-wide human resources policies and standard processes.

13. Payroll

Payroll is the sum of all the compensation that an organization has to pay to employees at a specified time. Payroll is managed by the finance or HR department while small business owners may handle it themselves. Payroll isn't fixed as it varies every month due to sick leaves, overtime, etc.

Here's how employee relations specialists use payroll:

Store operational responsibilities including: Scheduling, Payroll Allotment, Department Budget expenses
Managed all Payroll functions including payroll garnishments, benefit deductions and reconciliation.

14. Exit Interviews

Exit interviews are meetings conducted by management representatives with employees who are separating from the company. These interviews act as a measurement scale to assess the individual's overall experience with the organization. Having a standardized procedure of exit interviews helps the company to manage risks effectively. It can increase employee retention, engagement and helps to decide what decisions are fruitful and what aren't inside the organization.

Here's how employee relations specialists use exit interviews:

Analyzed turnover trends through exit interviews and provided recommendations on compensation and career path development, which were executed by management.
Prepare employee separation notices and related documentation, and conduct exit interviews to determine reasons and trends behind separations.

15. HRIS

Here's how employee relations specialists use hris:

Generated HRIS reports and managed personnel files, management information, and candidate data utilizing standardized reporting systems.
Maintained EEO reporting and generated HRIS information expert reporting.

5 Employee Relations Specialist resume examples

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What skills help Employee Relations Specialists find jobs?

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What skills stand out on employee relations specialist resumes?

Laura McCloud Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Sociology, Pacific Lutheran University

I think the pandemic will prioritize people's ability to work independently and to collaborate virtually. I don't fully believe we'll see the end of offices that some people are speculating, but we will see an increase in virtual work for many professions. Students who can communicate effectively in-person and online will be at an advantage when trying to get a job. I think experience with collaborative software will also benefit them. While they are missing out on some of the advantages of face-to-face learning, online learning gives students many opportunities for building digital communication skills.

What hard/technical skills are most important for employee relations specialists?

J. Adam Shoemaker Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Management & Human Resources, Saint Leo University

Even though these skills are much more trainable, it helps if HR professionals are familiar with HR information systems.
There are too many to name them all here (sorry, no free advertising)! It would be difficult for a candidate to be familiar with every platform a company might use for their HRIS, but it is good to know that they generally work in the same ways.
If the company asks if you have experience with a particular platform that you have never heard of, always be truthful but still be ready to ask intelligent questions about it: "I'm not too familiar with that platform, but I'd be curious to know about your employees' experiences with it. How long have you been using it, and how robust is the self-service interface?"

What employee relations specialist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Ryan Ceresola

Assistant Professor, Hartwick College

I always recommend to my students year-long service opportunities, especially because I have so many students interested in working in the criminal justice system, social services, or human resources. I am most familiar with the AmeriCorps program, having served two years thereafter my undergraduate education, but others include Peace Corps, Teach for America, and certain religiously affiliated service projects. These low-pay, high-reward opportunities are great ways to learn about our society's needs and to find out more about yourself and what you are particularly passionate about. They also serve as in-roads for many interested candidates to continue work for their particular organization after the year of service.

What type of skills will young employee relations specialists need?

Erik Larson

Professor and Chair, Macalester College

Simultaneously, far more students have experienced disruptions and loss when family members have become seriously ill--or even died--due to the coronavirus pandemic. In some instances, this experience has resulted in students taking on caregiving roles while also trying to complete their coursework. Unfortunately, that type of responsibility does not show up on a resume and, in fact, often appears more like a gap in a resume since the student might not have other relevant experiences.

What soft skills should all employee relations specialists possess?

Dan Wiljanen Ph.D.

Affiliate of Practice Professor, SHRM Student Chapter Adviser, Grand Valley State University

Soft Skills
-Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
-Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
-Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
-Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
-Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
-Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
-Coordination - Adjusting actions concerning others' actions.
-Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.

-Competencies - Blend of skills, abilities, and knowledge
-Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
-Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
-Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
-Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
-Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and considerable variety in the workplace.
-Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
-Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and understanding and helpful on the job.
-Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone and being personally connected with others on the job.
-Analytical Thinking - The job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
-Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.

Do you want to know more?

List of employee relations specialist skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for an employee relations specialist resume and required skills for an employee relations specialist to have include:

Performance Management
Excellent Interpersonal
Corrective Action
Management System
Customer Service
Conflict Resolution
Employment Law
Employee Engagement
Disciplinary Actions
Leave Management
Labor Relations
Human Resources Policies
Payroll
Exit Interviews
HRIS
FMLA

Ethics
Federal Laws
Unemployment Claims
Workplace Investigations
Local Laws
Policy Interpretation
State Laws
Workplace Issues
Internal Investigations
Litigation
FLSA
Personnel Policies
Progressive Discipline
Shared Services
Workers Compensation
EEO-1

Legal Compliance
Performance Issues
DOL
Performance Reviews
Training Programs
Background Checks
Mediation
Employment Legislation
Appeals
Labor Law
Performance Improvement
Sexual Harassment
Related Training
Workplace Violence
PeopleSoft
Policy Violations

Updated January 8, 2025

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

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