Employee Relations Specialist

The Employee Relations (ER) Officer plays a key role in supporting the CX business by managing employee relations matters ensuring legal compliance driving proactive case resolution and supporting initiatives that foster a positive and inclusive workplace culture. This position will also support employment equity and reporting requirements while working closely with HR and business stakeholders to promote fairness consistency and compliance.

The ER Officer is a key representative for Ignition CX representing the company at the CCMA and other hearings.

This position will:

ER Case Management:

Manage the end-to-end process of ER cases within the Ignition CX space while ensuring compliance with South African labour laws and regulations.

Assist with investigations into disciplinary matters grievances and complaints.

Provide practical ER advice to line managers in line with company policies and South African labour legislation.

Support or lead disciplinary hearings where required.

Facilitate informal conflict resolution where possible through mediation and early intervention.

Recommend and support preventative interventions for recurring ER issues.

Maintain accurate and confidential ER case records.

Ensure filing and storage of CCMA and ER documentation is compliant and accessible.

Support the development of case summaries and reports for audit and leadership review.

Assist managers within the Group divisions in addressing performance-related issues and implementing improvement plans.

Recommend appropriate actions to address underperformance or behavioural concerns.

Legal Compliance:

Stay abreast of updates in employment law and ensure alignment in ER practices.

Support the business in mitigating ER-related risks by identifying legal exposures and proposing solutions.

Ensure all company practices align with local legal requirements.

External Dispute Resolution:

Receive CCMA set downs object when required book stake holders and prepare for all cases for Ignition CX Umhlanga.

Support representation at the CCMA or other external forums including drafting responses and preparing documentation.

Guide stakeholders on procedural requirements.

Develop preventative strategies to reduce number of CCMA/ dismissals within Ignition CX.

Training:

Develop ER training material.

Upskill managers on initiating and chairing enquiries grievance enquiries.

Conduct training sessions on labour relations dispute resolution and compliance best practices.

Train and upskill HR team and performance management procedures and documentation.

Employment Equity & BBBEE Support:

Support the establishment and functioning of the CX Employment Equity Committee.

Assist in preparing EE plans and conducting workforce analysis.

Collate and submit CX-related BBBEE data to Finance for verification and reporting.

Contribute to the drafting and timely submission of EE reports in line with legislative deadlines.

Metric tracking and reporting:

Work with HR Operations Data Hub to develop maintain and analyse comprehensive metrics - related to ER cases.

Proactively identify trends and patterns through data analysis and propose strategies to address these.

Track all CCMA and ER cases and report on these monthly.

Prepare detailed reports for leadership offering insights into ER metrics.

Knowledge skills and attributes:

Extensive knowledge of Labor Law and CCMA processes.

Sound knowledge of South African labour legislation (LRA BCEA EEA etc.)

Practical experience in handling disciplinary grievance and dispute resolution matters.

Analytical thinker with attention to detail and ability to interpret ER metrics.

High emotional intelligence and discretion.

Proactive solutions-focused and resilient under pressure.

Education and training:

Education: Bachelors Degree or National Diploma in Human Resources Labour Relations or a related field.

Any relevant additional certification will be an added advantage.

Experience:

Experience in a unionized or high-volume ER environment preferably within a call centre or service industry.

Experience: Minimum 2 years experience in an Employee Relations IR or HR Generalist role with a strong ER focus.