Employee Relations Specialist

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A great job-and a great future-awaits you at Smithfield Foods. We are an American food company with a leading position in packaged meats and fresh pork products. We’re looking for motivated people who want to join our team and grow lasting and meaningful careers with us. Apply Now!

Your Opportunity

Our team members receive industry-competitive salaries and are eligible for great benefits packages:

• Competitive Pay

• Annual Bonus Earning Potential

• Comprehensive Health Insurance, Retirement Benefits and More

• Education benefit available to full and part time Smithfield team members on their first day of employment.

In addition, we offer opportunities for career growth, professional development, and tuition assistance.

The Employee Relations Specialist is responsible for investigating employee relations matters, providing summary reports and remediation recommendations as well as identifying trends through quarterly reporting for targeted training programs. This position will support a variety of initiatives including driving consistency in policies and best practices to support and encourage a productive workforce that meets both the business goals of the organization and personal needs of employees. This position leads the investigation process for multiple locations ensuring that the standard investigation process and documentation is complete. It is also responsible for providing coaching and guidance to HR professionals at various locations on how to complete an investigation and the appropriate response. For escalated cases, this role would be responsible for interviewing all witnesses and involved parties, reviewing camera footage, preparing witness statements and notes, researching past practices/cases, preparing case summaries, providing recommendations for issue resolution, and properly filing completed cases.

Core Responsibilities

• Provides coaching, training, and counseling on the proper way to conduct an investigation, how to document all steps of the process and close out a case. Will also be involved in interpreting and driving consistency of HR policies and practices.

• May be called to directly investigates employee relations concerns including but not limited to the categories of harassment, discrimination, wage/ hours and/or retaliation which are received through HR, site management, letters to leadership or employee ethics hotline.

• Ensures that all HR professionals in their region conducts effective, thorough, and objective investigations recommending resolution of employee complaints to site leaders while ensuring fairness and consistency to local policies and practices.

• Maintains accurate, complete, and confidential records in the investigation file regarding all investigations.

• When necessary, partners with legal in conducting investigations, researching policies/practices, creating, and gathering appropriate documentation, and making recommendations regarding the need for corrective action, additional training, or changes to policies/practices.

• Works closely with site leaders to ensure that all policies and procedures are understood, communicated, and consistently administered with all employees.

• Recommend education solutions to improve awareness of Code of Conduct, policy and other employee relations related matters.

• Responsible to ensure that all tracking of investigations and other employee relations matters are being properly executed in their region.

• Drives issues to resolution and working with local and Regional HR Business Partners, the Employee Relations and Compliance team and operations on any changes to practices, processes or additional training needs identified through the grievance resolution.

• Analyze and evaluates employee relations trends and provides actionable feedback to the HR team and operations partners.

• Partner with counsel to prepare for and attend mediations, arbitrations if needed, and other court proceedings as required.

• Assists with best practices content for monthly leadership roundtable discussions and other employee relations action plans.

• Provides timely investigation summaries and ensures closeout of all completed investigations. Keeps the HR Business Partners and their ER Manager up to date on pending investigations.

• Partners with HR Business Partners to provide counsel and facilitate prompt and effective resolution of workplace conflict to address issues for employees and managers in a manner consistent with company policies and procedures.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. May perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year college or university in HR or a related field and 2+ years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience, required.

• At least 1 year in a professional level role managing a process or area is required.

• Previous experience with a demonstrated understanding of how to handle an investigation and the requirement to thoroughly document and maintain confidentiality of sensitive information, required

• Bi-lingual ability to read, write and communicate in Spanish, French, Burmese or Vietnamese is preferred.

• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple, possibly conflicting priorities across multiple locations.

• Strong communication and administrative skills

• Strong problem solving, conflict resolution, and decision-making skills

• The ability to work well with employees at all levels of the organization

• Ability to work well with others in fast paced, dynamic environment

• Ability to be respectful, approachable and team oriented while building strong working relationships and a positive work environment

IndSPR-Ops

EEO/AA Information

Smithfield is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, gender identity, protected veterans status, status as a disabled individual or any other protected group status or non-job characteristic as directed by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment selection process, please call us at 757-357-1595.