Senior Employee Relations Specialist

Department: People & Culture

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Austin, Texas

DescriptionAt Four Hands, we furnish style. Our mission is to furnish inspiration that enriches the spaces in which we live. We provide an elevated feel to the distinct pieces we design by blending styles, materials, and textures from all around the world. Four Hands manufactures and distributes home furnishing products, serving as design leader for some of the most highly regarded home and lifestyle brands. Our portfolio is sold to retailers, residential and commercial designers, and offer a direct to-the-trade online marketplace. 

Headquartered in Austin, TX, we have received numerous accolades including ranking in the Inc. 5000 list 14 times and being named one of Austin’s Top Workplaces for 4 years—achievements made possible by our dedicated employees.\n
Four Hands is seeking a seasoned Senior Employee Relations Specialist to drive the resolution of complex employee concerns and contribute to building a fair, compliant, and inclusive workplace culture. In this role, you will lead efforts in conflict resolution and mediation, acting as a trusted advisor to employees and management to foster open dialogue and effective problem-solving. You will ensure the organization adheres to all employment laws and policies, leveraging your policy compliance and legal expertise to mitigate risk and maintain best practices.  Additionally, you will play a strategic role in shaping the company’s employee relations strategy, identifying trends, and recommending initiatives to boost employee satisfaction and retention. You will work closely with stakeholders to ensure fair treatment of all employees, promoting an environment where everyone can thrive. As part of your role, you will also engage in cross-functional collaboration to align employee relations practices with the overall People and Culture strategy and business objectives.  The ideal candidate will possess excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, a deep understanding of employment law, and a proactive approach to improving workplace dynamics. 

In This Role\nManage and resolve employee relations issues, ensuring that workplace policies and procedures are consistently applied and aligned with employment laws and organizational culture \nMediate and resolve conflicts between employees and management, fostering a positive and productive work environment \nRespond and conduct investigations in response to a range of employee relations matters, including harassment, discrimination, retaliation, workplace violence, and other violations of rules, regulations, policies, and procedures, providing resolutions in a timely manner \nProvide guidance to managers on handling disciplinary actions and terminations \nCommunicate regularly regarding pending investigations and provide timely reports with supporting documentation for all completed investigations \nMonitor legislative updates and changes to employment laws and regulations, ensuring company compliance with policies and practices  \nAssist in the development, implementation, and interpretation of HR policies and procedures \nAssist with unemployment claims responses; obtain needed information, provide all required responses, ensure responses are filed, and participate in unemployment claims hearings as needed \nProcess all terminations, to include receiving termination requests, ensuring that proper procedures were followed leading up to the termination request and appropriate supporting documentation has been collected, and executing the complete termination process as outlined in SOPs \nAnalyze employee relations trends with Leadership and recommend strategies to enhance employee satisfaction and retention \nWork closely with People and Culture team members, legal counsel, and other stakeholders to ensure a cohesive approach to employee relations \nDevelop tools and resources to support management in handling employee relations matters \nWork with the People Development team to deliver training programs for managers and employees on topics related to employee relations \nExperience working with or commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, ensuring fair treatment for all employees \nParticipate in cross-functional projects and initiatives to support the overall People and Culture strategy and business objectives \nUphold our Core Values and be a valuable member of the Four Hands Team \nOther duties as assigned by Management \n

The Ideal Person\n7+ years’ experience in employee relations, human resources or a related field \nBachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, or a related field \nHR certification (PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP) is highly desirable \nSpanish and English bilingual required  \nProven track record of successfully managing complex employee relations issues \nStrong conflict resolution, mediation, and negotiation skills, with the ability to de-escalate tense situations and guide parties to mutually acceptable solutions \nComprehensive knowledge of federal, state and local employment laws and regulations \nAbility to navigate complex employee relations situations while adhering to ethical standards and company values \nCultural competence, experience working with diverse populations and understanding cultural differences in conflict resolution and ability to mitigate unconscious biases \nThorough understanding and application of internal and external HR principles, concepts, practices, and standards \nAbility to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with discretion \nStrong organizational skills with the ability to manage and successfully prioritize multiple employee relations cases or policy changes simultaneously \nHigh degree of individual initiative, resourcefulness, and personal accountability \nExcellent communication and interpersonal skills\n