Employee Relations Specialist

Husch Blackwell LLP is a full-service litigation and business law firm with multiple locations across the United States, serving clients with domestic and international operations.

At Husch Blackwell we believe that diverse, equitable and inclusive teams lead to better outcomes. Husch Blackwell is committed to retaining, recruiting, developing, and promoting talented lawyers and business professionals with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We foster an engaged, diverse, and inclusive team culture of accountability and purpose that makes our Firm and our communities better.

Our firm is committed to attracting and retaining professionals who value each other and the service we provide by embracing Teamwork, Collaboration, Client Service, and Innovation. If you are a motivated professional looking for a long-term fit where you can grow in a role, and will be valued and empowered, then we invite you to apply to our Employee Relations Specialist position. This position may be filled in a hybrid or remote capacity in our Austin, Dallas, Houston, Jefferson City, Kansas City, Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, Omaha, Springfield, or St. Louis locations.

The Employee Relations Specialist provides critical support to the Employee Relations function, with responsibilities spanning leave administration, compliance and policy management, occupational health and safety, employee recognition, and overall administrative and operational support. This role plays a vital part in keeping processes moving efficiently, ensuring documentation is accurate and complete, and supporting the broader goals of a positive, compliant, and supportive work environment. Essential job functions include:

Leave Administration Support

• Enter and maintain case data in the leave tracker; update case details as needed.
• Send initial and return-to-work notifications.
• Track and monitor return-to-work dates and intermittent leave usage; flag follow-ups and reminders.
• File documentation and maintain accurate and complete records.
• Generate weekly leave report for People Business Partners and other reports as needed.
• Review and assess manager requests for Outlook access for employees on leave.
• Administers the leave of absence satisfaction survey by sending it to employees after their return to work; tracks responses and escalates feedback as appropriate to support continuous improvement of the leave experience
  
  

Compliance & Policy Administration

• Assist in maintaining and updating policy manuals.
• Draft new policies and updates to existing policies as needed.
• Assist with the annual policy review and update cycle.
• Track employment legislation and support compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws.
• Maintain compliance posters for all locations and coordinate with Office Administrators to post accordingly.
• Support coordination of mandatory compliance training.
  
  

Occupational Health & Safety

• Provide administrative and operational support related to occupational health and safety programs.
• Assist with documentation and tracking for workplace incidents or related safety issues.
  
  

Employee Relations

• Provide assistance to employees and managers in the application/interpretation of policies, procedures, and guidelines.
• Support initial fact-finding for basic employee relations concerns, as appropriate.
  
  

Recognition

• Administer select employee-related programs, recognition initiatives, and charitable giving campaigns, including, but not limited to, Spotlight Recognition program; Onsite Recognition Program, Anniversary gifts (annual and milestones); Baby gifts; and Memorial Contributions.
  
  

Administrative and Operational Support

• Draft communications, templates, SOPs, toolkits, and other materials to support leave administration, compliance, policy administration, employee relations, recognition, and occupational health & safety.
• Maintain and update internal resources, including HuB repository and shared reference documents.
• Generate and analyze reports across all functional areas supported.
• Maintain accurate records and ensure documentation is properly filed, organized, and maintained.
• Provide general administrative support to keep processes moving and key stakeholders informed.
• Other project and duties as assigned.
  
  

Position Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with major coursework in Business or HR; or combination of education and commensurate work experience required.
• PHR certification preferred.
• 3 years’ related experience required, preferably in a legal or other professional services environment.
• Demonstrated technical aptitude and advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel (VLOOKUPS), Word (document formatting and editing), and PowerPoint (slide design and presentation development); ability to quickly learn and navigate systems and databases.
• Ability to build strong relationships at all levels across the firm.
• Ability to objectively coach employees and management through complex, difficult and emotional issues.
• Ability to make recommendations to effectively resolve problems or issues, by using sound judgment.
• Understanding of HR policies, practices and procedures.
• Ability to deliver superior service to all employees.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to assess situations and analyze data.
• Knowledge of employment laws and regulations (e.g., FMLA, ADA, OSHA, EEO, FLSA, etc.).
• Strong organizational skills, time management, and attention to detail.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a team; willingness to adapt to changing business demands.
  
  

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of essential functions, responsibilities, or requirements. The Firm will provide reasonable accommodations as necessary to allow an individual with a disability to apply for and/or perform the essential functions of a position. If you need assistance to accommodate a disability, please contact HR.

Compensation And Benefits

Employees are entitled to compensation commensurate with skill and experience. The exact compensation will vary based on skills, experience, location, and other factors permitted by law. The expected compensation range for this position in the state of Minnesota is: $60,000 - $99,000

The above salary does not include a discretionary bonus, however bonus opportunities are non-guaranteed, and are dependent upon individual and firm performance. Full-time employees receive benefits including: medical and dental coverage; life insurance; short-term and long-term disability insurance; pre-tax flexible spending account for certain medical and dependent care expenses; an employee assistance program; Paid Time Off; paid holidays; participation in a retirement plan program after meeting eligibility requirements; and more.

Please submit a cover letter and resume when applying.

EOE/Minority/Female/Disabled/Vet. Principal Applicants Only.