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Job summary

Main area
Employee Relations
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 5
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Hybrid working is currently part of the working week with a mandatory requirement to be onsite 3 days per week and flexibility to meet service needs.)
Job ref
193-8320992COR
Employer
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Royal Berkshire Hospital
Town
Reading
Salary
£32,073 - £39,043 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
11/10/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust logo

Employee Relations Advisor

NHS AfC: Band 5

At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust we put our patients at the heart of every element of health and care that we provide. The Trust works together as a community to deliver its vision which is “Working together to provide outstanding care for our community.”

Royal Berkshire Hospital are pleased to announce that following our CQC inspection we have been rated ‘Good’ with inspectors reporting that we have made significant improvements.  The Trust’s overall rating has also improved to ‘good’.  

We are Compassionate in our thoughts, words and actions

We are Aspirational and have a true desire to be dynamic and to innovate

We are Resourceful and responsible in the way we work and live

We are Excellent in our development, fairness and sharing best practice

At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, we value candidates who bring their unique personalities, skills, and experiences to the Trust. When completing your application, we encourage you to highlight your individual achievements and strengths, showing us how they align with the requirements outlined in the job description and person specification. While we recognise that some applicants may use AI tools during the process, please be mindful that AI-generated responses can often lack the personal detail and relevance needed to demonstrate your suitability for the role. AI generated content is discouraged by the Trust and may diminish the candidates chances of success.

Amazing things happen at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust; delivered by amazing people so why don’t you come and join us.  We offer a range of learning and development for all employees may you be clinical or non-clinical.  

Please note: all vacancies automatically close when 50 applications have been received.

Job overview

We are looking for a confident and motivated Employee Relations Advisor to join our Employee Relations Team.    We are seeking someone with relevant advisory experience, strong communication skills and knowledge of employment legislation who can remain calm, organised and professional in a busy environment.
Working closely with managers across the Trust, you will provide professional advice on a broad range of employee relations matters and help identify fair, practical and timely solutions. You will manage a varied caseload, providing timely and practical advice to managers on matters including attendance, conduct, performance, grievance resolution, flexible working and employment terms and conditions.
This is an excellent opportunity to develop your employee relations expertise and contribute to policy development, organisational initiatives and help strengthen a Just Culture approach and employee relations capability in a large fast-paced organisation.
If you are organised, approachable and passionate about good people management, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

You will build constructive relationships with managers, employees and trade union representatives, while coaching managers to handle workforce matters fairly, consistently and in line with employment legislation, national terms and conditions, Trust policies and best practice. 
Alongside managing your own caseload, you will be providing advice on a broad range of workforce matters and people management. You will support informal and formal processes, including investigations and employee meetings, maintain accurate case records, utilise workforce intelligence reports, administer contractual changes and employee entitlements and help strengthen managers’ confidence and capability to enhance employee relations across the Trust.
Whilst you will be capable of working independently, you will also work alongside the Senior Employee Relations Advisors and Employee Relations Manager to deliver a consistently high quality and effective service.
You will apply your employee relations knowledge to interpret and analyse relevant information and utilise your excellent interpersonal, communication and problem solving skills to identify, advise and implement appropriate solutions.

Working for our organisation

Diversity makes us interesting… Inclusion is what will make us outstanding.

Inequality exists and the journey to eliminate it is not easy. Every step we take will be a purposeful step forward to deliver a truly inclusive culture where all our people are enabled to deliver outstanding care, where background is no barrier, and where everyone can be their authentic self and we truly represent our patient community.

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where possible. All applicants who have a disability and meet the minimum criteria for the post can opt for a guaranteed interview.

We support flexible working wherever possible, with requests considered on an individual basis taking into account service requirements, operational needs and the requirements of the role.

Our primary method of communication will be via email. However, if you would prefer to be contacted through a different method, please inform the recruitment team.

If you need additional help with your application please get in touch by calling the recruitment team on 0118 322 6997 or 0118 322 5342.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full roles and responsibilities

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Educated to degree level / part qualified or studying for Level 5 CIPD qualification or equivalent

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria
  • Up to date specialist knowledge of employment legislation and current people management issues and the ability to interpret and apply it appropriately
  • Previous experience in providing advice and guidance on a range of employee relations issues
Desirable criteria
  • Skills and ability to embrace new technology and tools to deliver a high quality and up-to-date ER service, responsive to changing ways of working

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Able to work on own initiative to add value and contribute to business success
Desirable criteria
  • Skills and ability to embrace new technology and tools to deliver a high quality and up-to-date ER service, responsive to changing ways of working

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Florence Nightingale FoundationNational Preceptorship for Nursing Quality Mark 2024

Application numbers

This vacancy will automatically close when 50 applications have been received.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Naomi Harrison
Job title
Employee Relations Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01183227854
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