Head of Employee Relations

Overview

We are one of the UK's leading independent hospital groups and the largest in terms of revenue. From our 38 hospitals and 33 clinics, medical centres and consulting rooms across England, Wales, and Scotland, we provide diagnostics, inpatient, day case and outpatient care in areas including orthopaedics, gynaecology, cardiology, neurology, oncology and general surgery. We also operate a network of private GPs and provide occupational health services to over 700 corporate clients. We are the principal independent provider by volume of knee and hip operations in the United Kingdom.

The group was founded with the acquisition and re-branding of 25 Bupa hospitals in 2007. Since then, Spire Healthcare has made significant capital investments in its estate and continues to deliver successful and award-winning clinical outcomes and high levels of patient satisfaction. Spire is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 250. We were the first private hospital provider to publish outcomes data on our website and we have received awards for our clinical quality and high levels of patient satisfaction.

Spire Healthcare is committed to the highest quality of patient care. Working in partnership with over 8,760 experienced consultants, we delivered tailored, personalised care to approximately 926,500 inpatients, outpatients, and day case patients in 2022. Patients, consultants, and general practitioners trust Spire Healthcare to deliver the high-quality care they expect from a leading private healthcare provider.

Role Purpose

Role Purpose: The Head of Employee Relations and Policy will report into the Group HR Director and will lead the strategic direction and operational delivery of employee relations and HR policy development and compliance across the Spire Group as a whole.

This role will collaborate closely with senior business leaders, senior HR leaders and the Legal & Compliance team to set the ER strategy and provide pragmatic, expert guidance on complex and sensitive matters. A future key focus will be managing union recognition requests and negotiations, ensuring legal compliance in line with legislative changes such as the Employment Rights Act, whilst fostering a fair, consistent and positive working environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Set and lead the employee relations strategy in alignment with business and people priorities
• Develop and champion 'colleague voice forums' to further foster relations working alongside People Leadership Team and key stakeholders
• Act as a trusted advisor through partnering with senior business and HR leaders, and the Legal & Compliance team to ensure consistent application of policies, procedures and employment law
• Influences leaders to adopt positive performance management and working practices
• To lead the review, development, and implementation of HR policies
• Accountable for all legal documentation relevant to the employee lifecycle, including employment contracts, restructuring, capability and conduct to ensure legal compliance and best practice
• Attend and take an active part in the Policy Committee, ensuring stakeholder consultation and governance of policy reviews and amendments
• Establish compliant processes for managing contingent and bank workers, ensuring a clear distinction between worker types
• Monitor government and legislative changes to ensure the required amends to policies and practice are embedded and socialised appropriately, for example, Employment Rights Bill
• Monitors the investigation and resolution of complex and sensitive ER cases, including grievances, disciplinaries and complaints
• Identifies root causes and puts in place appropriate corrective action plans
• Works alongside the ER Case Manager to provide clear, pragmatic guidance to senior managers and People Partners to ensure fair and consistent outcomes
• Leads and develops the ER Case Manager, ensuring continuous capability growth and high-quality on-time delivery
• Oversees all early conciliation and ET claims
• Manage union recognition requests, collective bargaining negotiations and other union-related matters
• Build and maintain constructive relationships with union representatives
• Ensure compliance with union agreements and employment legislation relevant to unionised environments
• Leverage data and analytics to identify ER trends and challenges, recommending proactive and preventative interventions
• Collaborate cross-functionally to develop action plans, tools, and processes that improve employee engagement and reduce ER risk

Qualifications & Experience

• Extensive experience in UK employment law and employee relations
• Proven success in managing union relationships
• Proven experience in the creation and governance of policies
• Legal Practice Course (LPC) qualification and legal training experience preferred but not essential if ER experience is extensive
• Experience with M&A integration, TUPE and outsourcing is desirable
• Strong interpersonal and influencing abilities across all levels
• Exceptional judgment and decision-making in sensitive and ambiguous situations
• High emotional intelligence and resilience
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret data and trends

Benefits

We offer employed colleagues a competitive salary as well as a comprehensive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:

• 35 days annual leave inclusive of bank holidays
• Employer and employee contributory pension with flexible retirement options
• 'Spire for you' reward platform - discount and cashback for over 1000 retailers
• Free wellness screening
• Private medical insurance
• Life assurance

Spire Healthcare is committed to creating an environment that will attract, retain and motivate its people. We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to the health and wellbeing of all our colleagues and consultants.

We firmly believe that it is our people that make the business successful, and everyone should have the opportunity to work in a motivated team, free from discrimination on any grounds. We, therefore, are keen to receive and review applications from all candidates of under-represented groups who feel they offer the requisite skills.