Senior ER Consultant Absence Lead

Your tasks

Lead and line manage the Employee Relations (ER) Consultants (Absence Lead),

driving a reduction in the Council’s absence rate and ensuring delivery against the employee relations service plan. To support and/or lead on ER related projects that support the delivery of the Workforce Strategy. Liaise with stakeholders in a way that promotes the Council Plan and embeds our values and behaviours.

Accountabilities and outcomes Manage the ER Consultant Absence Lead posts, providing effective coaching, guidance and support to develop expertise, build confidence and ensure consistent, customer focused employee relations services. Drive a reduction in the Council’s sickness absence rate through the effective leadership of the ER Consultant Absence Leads, ensuring proactive case management, early intervention and consistent application of absence management processes, while building managers’ capability to manage attendance in line with HR policy and the Council’s Values and Behaviours.

Ensure the effective management of sickness absence casework, identifying trends, patterns and barriers to timely resolution, and implementing targeted interventions to improve attendance outcomes, reduce absence levels and support organisational performance.

Manage contracts such as occupational health and the Employee Assistance Programme, monitoring performance, utilisation and compliance with service level agreements to ensure high-quality support is delivered, value for money is achieved, and organisational wellbeing and attendance objectives are met.

To provide professional HR advice and support to investigating officers, chairs of hearings and appeals panels across the Council and schools (in accordance with the service level contract that has been purchased.) Council Job Profile Deliver training, coaching and expert guidance to managers on sickness absence management and wider employee relations matters (as required), enhancing their capability to manage cases proactively, apply policies consistently, address workplace issues effectively and make informed decisions that support employee wellbeing, organisational performance and the Council's Values and Behaviours.

Other

At the discretion of the Head of Service, such other activities as may from time to time be agreed consistent with the nature of the job described above.