Workforce Relations Specialist or Workforce Relations Sr. Specialist

Michigan Technological University is an R1 technological research university founded in 1885 in Houghton. Our rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's scenic Upper Peninsula and is home to nearly 7,400 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Research focus areas include defense, health, energy, automotive, environment, and aerospace.

The area’s waters, forests, and snowfall support year-round recreation, including skiing, snowboarding, hiking, biking, and paddling. The University is an integral part of the region, supported by a friendly and welcoming community that takes pride in being a true college town. We embrace our size, climate, sense of adventure, and originality.

Summary

The Workforce Relations Specialist is responsible for mitigating risk for the institution and creating capacity and competency for managers and supervisors in counseling and guiding them through complex employee issues; and balancing both the need to mitigate risk and to positively impact the employee experience in addressing employee concerns and reaching fair and equitable solutions. Areas of primary responsibility will include investigations, corrective action, coaching and counseling with managers and supervisors, policy and contract interpretation. This position serves on the leadership team within the Human Resources Department.

Responsibilities and Essential Duties

1. Service as the primary point of contact for employee relations matters across the institution.
2. Provide efficient, consistent and prompt consultative services, thereby creating capacity for managers and supervisors.
3. Provide consultative, advising, and coaching services in areas to include: conflict resolution, performance issues, and disciplinary actions.
4. Mediate workplace disputes effectively
5. Provide effective advising services to managers during performance improvement plans.
6. Assist managers with preparing for difficult conversations with employees that will assist in leading to effective concern resolution.
7. Advising managers on how to handle difficult performance issues, disciplinary actions, and Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs)
8. Serve as a Labor Designee for bargaining units which includes serving as the contract liaison, host labor/management meetings, serve as the employer representative in labor negotiations, draft and publish contracts.
9. Respond to grievances, written complaints and assist General Council with legal matters as they relate to Human Resources.
10. Provide leadership in investigations into misconduct or policy violations.
11. Develop, interpret and enforce institutional policy, and collective bargaining agreements in a fair and equitable manner.
12. Partner with HR colleagues and other stakeholders in areas of FMLA and ADA and other leaves of absences.
13. Provide education to managers and employees on policies, rights and best practices. This may be through individual conversations or group trainings.
14. Manage Unemployment claims and respond and represent as needed.
15. Develop tools and templates for managers to utilize.
16. Partner with the Chief Human Resources Office on complex or sensitive cases.
17. Perform appropriate referrals to University or community resources.
18. Provide varying levels of final outcome letter development support from drafting, reviewing drafts written by others or issuing and delivering final outcomes.
19. Track appropriate level of detail by case to ensure ability to identify and address trends through reporting and training opportunities or policy needs.
20. Utilize exceptional written communication skills to prepare appropriate documentation for each matter with discoverability in mind
21. Commit to learning about continuous improvement strategies and applying them to everyday work. Actively engage in University and departmental continuous improvement initiatives.
22. Apply safety-related knowledge, skills, and practices to everyday work.

Required Education, Certifications, Licensures

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Labor Relations or other related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and abilities can be acquired.