WHAT YOU’LL DO AS A COLLEAGUE RELATIONS SPECIALIST

In your role, you’ll collaborate with different people across a range of skillsets. Here’s a flavour of your day-to-day:

• Accountable for supporting and guiding on CR related concerns based on case load
• Partner with key stakeholders including P&C Business Partnering Team, Area Managers and Store Management to support great outcomes and bring matters to a resolution
• Be a trusted adviser and subject matter expert in supporting, coaching, guiding managers at all levels of the business, providing accurate and timely advice on all employee relations matters in line with our internal policies and procedures and consistent with good practice and employment law requirements including but not limited to: corrective action; capability (sickness and performance); flexible working; family leave; working time and probation cases
• Partner with P&C BPs to provide specialist guidance on complex Employee Relations matters, ensuring consistent application of policies and alignment with Primark Values & Behaviours and organizational values and legal standards.
• Foster strong, collaborative relationships with P&C BPs through regular communication, data insights, and skill enhancement initiatives to proactively address CR issues and support a positive employee experience
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills, both written and oral and be able to influence and impact colleagues at all levels
• Be proactive and creative in considering strategies and solutions
• Work collaboratively with other CR team members by sharing best practice and assisting with cases, as and when required
• Review CR documentation and provide feedback to stakeholders to ensure the content is clear, objective and legally compliant and manage this within the SLA timescales
• Provide regular employment law/ CR updates both written and in the form of live learning to clearly drive high standards
• Accurately and continuously update CR trackers
• Support the CR/LR Lead in providing timely and accurate responses to high profile employee relations queries
• Support senior managers in dealing with high profile CR cases, risk assessing situations, giving accurate and timely advice
• Liaise and escalate cases to relevant stakeholders on significant cases including but not limited to Corporate PR, D&I, Security, Legal, Compliance and Data Privacy, Profit Protection and Occupational Health.
• Liaise with external solicitors and key stakeholders in order to progress cases within required deadlines
• Attend employment tribunals if needed to support the key witnesses and represent the business and use key learnings to improve the quality of future advice and limit business risk
• Considers the relevant legislation when managing a case, assessing the risk and ensuring the company remains legally compliant. Proactively and consistently consider lessons learned and any follow up actions required
• Proactively keep up to date with all relevant legislative changes which affect the business
• Contribute towards, elevate and deliver new and existing training to support the upskilling of management teams.

Here at Primark, we want everyone to feel valued – so please bring your authentic self to work, of course with some other key experience and abilities for this role in particular:

• Strong and demonstrable experience in Employee Relations in a fast moving, multi-site organisation; including practical experience in managing day to day ER cases and change management projects
• Great up-to-date knowledge of employee relations practice and employment law
• Strong ability to coach and influence all levels of management on ER cases
• Ability to communicate effectively (both oral and written) and build relationships at all levels
• Ability to work well under pressure, be resilient, prioritise and meet deadlines
• Ability to demonstrate credibility within the organisation
• Good team working skills
• Communicate tactfully, professionally, diplomatically and confidentially at all times, providing regular updates to stakeholders
• Excellent technology skill