ER Specialist (12 month FTC)

When you join Kainos, you get to think beyond limitations to make an immediate and positive impact – like transforming digital services for millions of citizens or helping Fortune 500 companies get live and thrive on Workday.You’ll be part of a people-first culture that is growing around the world. We’re a creative, committed, and diverse group of individuals who succeed as a team.At Kainos your ideas are heard and valued and you’ll leave a legacy that you can feel proud of. Join us and discover how our people write our story.

WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS:

You will be at the heart of delivering a brilliant employee experience for one of the UK’s best places to work. We know that a happy and healthy team is key to success and you will be integral to ensuring Kainos supports its global team through every stage of the employee lifecycle and celebrate the moments that matter in their career.

This is a brilliant opportunity for an ambitious HR professional seeking a Fixed Term Contract to build their ER experience over a 12 month period. You’ll get to work with like-minded individuals who will share their experience and give you learning opportunities. Alongside that you will be making a real impact to Kainos’s future success.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING:

You’ll directly support our people through their Kainos career and confirm for them that working for Kainos is the best decision they have ever made. You will foster a support the culture of equality and diversity in your day to day activities. moreover, when you commit to something, you will follow through and deliver on promises.

As an Employee Relations Case Handler, you will be an essential part of our People Operations team, ensuring that our employees have a positive and supportive experience throughout their time with Kainos. This role focuses on addressing employee concerns, managing cases with professionalism, and contributing to a respectful and compliant workplace. You will help drive our commitment to fair treatment and effective resolution of workplace issues.

We’ll need you to bring you’re ‘A’ game - demonstrating accuracy, creativity, flexibility, communications and stakeholder management experience that will help nurture a healthy workplace for Kainos employees at all levels.

• Case Management: Handle day-to-day employee relations issues including grievances, absences, disciplinary actions, and performance concerns. Provide timely and effective resolutions while ensuring compliance with company policies and employment legislation.
• Support and Advice: Offer support and guidance to our people and managers on a range of employee relations matters, ensuring fair and consistent application of company policies.
• Documentation: Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of employee relations cases, including documentation of meetings, actions taken, and outcomes.
• Policy Adherence: Ensure that all employee relations processes and practices adhere to current employment laws and company policies. Assist in updating and communicating these policies as needed.
• Communication: Act as a liaison between employees and management to facilitate clear communication and resolve issues. Ensure that all parties are informed of processes and outcomes.
• Training: Assist in delivering training and workshops to our people and managers on employee relations topics, such as supporting our people in absence, handling grievances and disciplinary procedures.
• Collaboration: Work closely with People team colleagues and other departments to ensure that employee relations issues are addressed effectively and that our people receive the support they need.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Partner with both business stakeholders and HR teams to develop and implement Employee Relations best practices and programs
• Participating in contract negotiations, meetings, and negotiations with employees.
• Give counsel and oversee complex employee relations issues, such as grievance and disciplinary cases and manage difficult cases with professionalism
• Manage employee relations cases from start to finish, including investigations and follow-up actions.
• Provide advice to managers on best practices for managing employee performance and behaviour issues.
• Document and track case progress, ensuring compliance with legal and Kainos standards.
• Collaborate with the People team and broader business to ensure a cohesive approach to employee relations.
• Ensure that policies and procedures are developed, updated and implemented in line with legislation.
• Contribute to a positive workplace culture by handling cases with fairness and sensitivity.
• Maintain discretion and always recognise the importance of confidentiality, ensuring individual data is respected at all times.
• Contribute to the smooth running of the People Operations team by delivering coaching and training to more junior team members.
• Help to build and develop our employee relations function so that our people are supported and developed.

MINIMUM (ESSENTIAL SKILLS) REQUIREMENTS:

• Minimum of 4 years' experience in an Employee Relations related role with an approachable, mature, collaborative style in a customer facing environment CIPD Level 5 (HRM) qualified or working towards
• Experience in managing a variety of employee relations cases, including disciplinary actions and grievances.
• Approachable, diplomatic and a good mediator. Experienced in coaching managers to handle employee relations case work
• Sound generalist knowledge of people management techniques. Excellent knowledge of HR policies, best practice and up to date employment legislation and approaches to help drive behavioural change.
• Ability to carry out responsibilities in accordance with company policies, procedures and processes
• Effective personal time management and planning skills to deliver a high level of accuracy and attention to detail in tight timeframes/targets.
• Brilliant knowledge of employment legislation and HR policies. Ability to handle sensitive issues with confidentiality and professionalism.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to interact effectively with employees at all levels.
• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple cases and priorities effectively.
• A pro at making informed decisions and providing balanced advice in complex situations.
• Ability to work efficiently, make sensible decisions under pressure and prioritise your workload in a fast-paced environment
• A self-starter who can work on their own initiatives with minimal supervision
• Effective verbal and written communication skills
• Experience with Office 365 Suite or equivalent. Excel is a must.

DESIRED EXPERIENCE:

• Experience in delivering training or workshops related to employee relations or HR policies.

• Ability to collaborate effectively within a multi-disciplined team
• Experience with Microsoft teams, SharePoint or Workday
• Demonstrate commercial awareness and understanding of business dynamics.
• We all work in teams here in Kainos – a proven ability of strong team skills, including taking direction from others, is crucial
   

WHO YOU ARE:

• You’re confident, articulate and personable, you will have energy, drive and enjoy working at pace.
• You’re someone who can take a large problem and come up with lots of possible solutions, get people on board and make them happen fast.
• Calm under pressure: you remain cool as a cucumber no matter how many deliverables you are juggling at any one time
• Willing to go the extra mile: you will genuinely strive to make Kainos the coolest workplace on the planet
• Approachable: you will be championing a positive and proactive culture across the business.
• Learning oriented (curious, up to date with latest thinking and external trends)
• Agility – manage day to day tactical with strategic demands
• Structured – problem solving and day to day activities and great attention to detail
• Hard wired to business plan (always questions ‘why’) whilst offering alternatives
• Grounded in operational reality
• Commercial grip (always looking to measure success, and keeps the objective in mind)
• Grit and determination
• Politically savvy, and emotionally intelligent
• Approachable and Supportive: You are someone employees can trust to handle their concerns with empathy and professionalism.
• Detail-Oriented: You pay close attention to detail and ensure accuracy in documenting and managing cases.
• Problem Solver: You can identify problems and propose practical solutions while maintaining a fair approach.
• Communicative: You excel at communicating clearly and effectively, ensuring that all parties involved understand processes and outcomes.
• Proactive: You take initiative to address issues before they escalate and contribute positively to the workplace environment.

ABOUT THE TEAM:

Our vision is to enable outstanding people to create digital solutions that have a positive impact on people’s lives. Our values aren't abstract; they are the behaviours we expect from each other every day and underpin everything that we do. We expect everyone to display our values by being determined in how obstacles are overcome; honest when dealing with others; respectful of how you treat others; creative to find solutions to complex problems and cooperative by sharing information, knowledge and experience. These values, applied collectively, help to produce an outstanding Kainos person, team and culture.