Employee Relations Specialist

Job Description

Purpose of the role

To support the business with the management of employee relations cases, in line with relevant policies, procedures and regulatory requirements. This includes providing professional advice, support and guidance to managers and employees on a range of topics (including Disciplinary, Capability, Grievance and Sickness), and investigating matters where required. 

Accountabilities

• Provision of ER advice on a range of topics, including reviewing and drafting of documentation, advising on process as well as potential employment / legal risk. Supporting directly where required, often with senior complex, and regulatory matters.
• Investigations to resolve employee complaints, grievances, and disciplinary matters and guidance on the completion of these, supporting managers and employees as required.
• Employee relations policies and procedures development, implementation, and maintenance, aligning these to all applicable laws, regulations and the overall business strategy.
• Production and deployment of ER training in coordination with our control partners with a focus on prevention.
• Production and delivery of ER metrics, sharing insights with stakeholders on employee relations issues and trends.

Vice President Expectations

• To contribute or set strategy, drive requirements and make recommendations for change. Plan resources, budgets, and policies; manage and maintain policies/ processes; deliver continuous improvements and escalate breaches of policies/procedures..
• If managing a team, they define jobs and responsibilities, planning for the department’s future needs and operations, counselling employees on performance and contributing to employee pay decisions/changes. They may also lead a number of specialists to influence the operations of a department, in alignment with strategic as well as tactical priorities, while balancing short and long term goals and ensuring that budgets and schedules meet corporate requirements..
• If the position has leadership responsibilities, People Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others..
• OR for an individual contributor, they will be a subject matter expert within own discipline and will guide technical direction. They will lead collaborative, multi-year assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialisation to complete assignments. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Advise key stakeholders, including functional leadership teams and senior management on functional and cross functional areas of impact and alignment.
• Manage and mitigate risks through assessment, in support of the control and governance agenda.
• Demonstrate leadership and accountability for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work your team does.
• Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the organisation functions to contribute to achieving the goals of the business.
• Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategies.
• Create solutions based on sophisticated analytical thought comparing and selecting complex alternatives. In-depth analysis with interpretative thinking will be required to define problems and develop innovative solutions.
• Adopt and include the outcomes of extensive research in problem solving processes.
• Seek out, build and maintain trusting relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders in order to accomplish key business objectives, using influencing and negotiating skills to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.

Join us as an Employee Relations expert and play a key role in managing employee relations matters across the Asia-Pacific region. Partnering with HR, Legal, Compliance and business leaders, you will manage complex employment matters to ensure fair, consistent and compliant outcomes, while effectively managing legal, regulatory and reputational risks. You will advise on disciplinary, grievance, performance, workforce change and complex employment issues, l lead workplace investigations, support policy and governance initiatives, deliver manager guidance and training, and drive continuous improvement of ER processes and colleague experience. You will build trusted stakeholder relationships and use data, insights and trend analysis to identify risks, strengthen workplace culture and support effective people decision-making.

We are seeking an experienced Employee Relations professional to act as the regional subject matter expert for Asia Pacific. The successful candidate will combine deep ER expertise, sound risk judgement and strong stakeholder-management skills to advise employees, managers, HR teams and control functions on complex and high-risk matters. The role requires a proven ability to manage sensitive cases, influence and coach stakeholders, develop regional policies and governance, strengthen ER capability, identify emerging trends and deliver practical solutions within a regulated and fast-paced financial-services environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the regional subject matter expert for Employee Relations across Asia Pacific, developing and supporting ER strategies aligned with the organisation’s direction and vision.
• Develop, implement and maintain regional and local ER policies, guidelines and risk-management governance.
• Benchmark ER practices across markets and provide guidance on country-specific/regional/global policies and labour regulations.
• Provide expert consultation, guidance and coaching to HR teams, business leaders, managers and employees on complex or high-risk ER matters.
• Manage end-to-end ER cases, including employee complaints, grievances, conduct concerns, disciplinary matters and allegations of harassment, discrimination or retaliation.
• Provide advice on workforce change and restructuring activities across Asia Pacific.
• Oversee wellbeing initiatives across Asia Pacific, including the Employee Assistance Programme.
• Manage industrial relations related activities across the region

Required Skills

• Degree-qualified, with at least 10-15 years of Employee Relations experience across multiple APAC markets or regions.
• Significant knowledge of employment law and Employee Relations within a regulated, complex financial-services environment.
• Strong understanding of employment legislation and cultural awareness across key Asia Pacific markets.
• Demonstrated experience managing end-to-end ER cases, including complex investigations, disciplinary matters and cases involving multiple and senior stakeholders.
• Proven ability to assess legal, regulatory and organisational risks, and to drive ER matters towards appropriate resolution.
• Strong counselling, coaching, conflict-resolution and advisory skills, supported by effective influencing techniques.
• Excellent interpersonal, analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with structured thinking and strong presentation skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to provide clear, practical and client-focused advice.

Preferred Skills

• Employee Relations experience within the banking or financial-services industry.
• Mandarin language skills (reading and speaking).
• Proactive, motivated and positive approach, with the flexibility to adapt to changing priorities.
• Creative and innovative mindset, with a focus on practical solutions and continuous improvement.
• Strong stakeholder-management skills and the ability to build trusted relationships across functions and regions.
• Calm, balanced and objective approach when handling sensitive or conflict-driven situations.

You may be assessed on key critical skills relevant for success in the role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen, strategic thinking, as well as job-specific technical skills.

Barclays is required by law to confirm that you have the Legal Right to Work in any role that you apply for. If you currently hold a work visa sponsored by Barclays, or you would require sponsorship from Barclays, you must declare this as part of your application. Sponsored visas are role and entity specific, and any changes must be reviewed. It is important that you ensure you are working on the correct visa at all times. Failure to accurately disclose your visa status or Legal Right to Work may result in your application or any employment offer being withdrawn at any time.