ER & Policies Associate Manager

The Employee Relations & Policies –L9 role is a Specialist‑level position responsible for independently managing complex employee relations matters, providing policy and ER advisory to senior stakeholders, leading investigations and disciplinary decisions, and driving ER governance, risk mitigation, and process excellence.
The role acts as a trusted advisor to HR and business leadership, with a strong focus on fairness, compliance, and risk management.

Key Responsibilities

Employee Relations & Case Management

• Independently manage complex and sensitive ER cases, including misconduct, grievances, ethical concerns, and policy violations.
• Lead end‑to‑end investigations (fact finding, interviews, documentation, assessment, recommendations, and closure).
• Handling sensitive cases involving mental health issues, police matters, court proceedings, and similar concerns.
• Recommend and execute appropriate disciplinary actions, not limited to warnings, final actions, or terminations.
• Ensure timely, fair, and consistent resolution of cases while minimizing business, reputational, and legal risk.
• Participate in change management initiatives that require strategic involvement from ER.

Policy Interpretation & Advisory

• Provide expert interpretation of HR policies, Code of Business Ethics, and internal governance standards.
• Advise HRBPs and business leaders on policy application, employee risk, and ER strategy.
• Drive policy communication, awareness, and adherence across the organization.

Stakeholder & Leadership Engagement

• Interact directly with senior HR leaders and business leadership as a trusted ER advisor.
• Exercise independent judgment on ER decisions with significant day‑to‑day and long‑term impact.
• Partner closely with Legal, Compliance, Ethics, and CI teams, including BEL and litigation‑sensitive matters.

Risk Mitigation & Governance

• Proactively identify trends, repeat risks, and systemic issues to prevent escalations and litigations.
• Ensure timely escalation to Legal for potential or active litigation matters.
• Participate in ER governance, audits, internal controls, and compliance reviews.
• Drive process improvements, audit closures, and action plan management.

Behavioral Assessment & Human‑Centered Approach

• Utilize understanding of human psychology and behavior to:
  • Assess intent, impact, and contributing factors
  • Differentiate between capability gaps, behavioral issues, and willful misconduct
• Conduct employee conversations with emotional intelligence, sensitivity, and professionalism.
• De‑escalate emotionally charged situations while maintaining clarity and boundaries.
• Enable outcomes that support fairness, dignity, and organizational trust (without adopting a therapeutic role).