Workplace Relations Specialist

Your Business

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) Group is an Australian multinational bank with businesses across New Zealand, Asia, the United States and the United Kingdom. We provide a variety of financial services including retail, business and institutional banking, funds management, superannuation, insurance, investment, and broking services. CBA employs over 45,000 people, serves over 15 million personal and small business customers, and has more than 800,000 shareholders.

The Human Resources (HR) team plays a key role in supporting the Group’s strategy by working with our client teams to attract and build talent, develop leaders, drive capability and performance, create a diverse culture, and enhance productivity.

The Everyday People Services (GPS) team provides the Group with HR advisory and operational services across Workplace Relations, Employee Benefits, Global Mobility, Health, Safety & Wellbeing, People & Payroll Services, Workforce Analytics, HR Direct, and Workers’ Compensation.

Your Team

The Workplace Relations team play an integral role in providing expert employee relations advice and practical solutions to complex workplace matters. The team support people leaders across the Group at all levels to ensure that our employee relations programs, policies and procedures are aligned to legislative requirements, and business needs; whilst also balancing supporting our people to achieve the right outcome. Our aim is to enable the Group’s leaders to recognise key areas of risk in their business and handle workplace relations issues with confidence.

• We have a vibrant, customer-focused and high integrity culture.
• Our people are central to our success.
• We Invest in people development, talent management and making the Group a place committed to diversity, safety and one where you are proud to work

See yourself in our team

The main functions of this team are to manage, research, analyse and advise on the Group’s workplace policies so that they support the Group’s vision ‘To excel at securing and enhancing the financial wellbeing of people, businesses and communities.’

Do work that matters

• Provide specialist, compliant and trusted Employee Relations advice to People Business Partners, Business Leaders, and their teams. You will also conduct investigations into complex and serious employee relations issues.
• End to end case management – supporting People Business HR Partners and Business Leaders in effectively manage ER cases such as, but not limited to Performance Management, Grievances, Misconduct, long term personal illness leave management, Investigations and any employee disputes. This includes those relating to bullying, harassment, victimisation and discrimination.
• Interpret and advise on enterprise agreements, awards, employment laws, and employment contracts.
• Deal with external stakeholders such as the Union, solicitors and other workplace representatives in support of the resolution of cases.
• Representing the Group in unfair dismissal matters, including supporting submissions to Industrial and EEO Tribunals for the Group as required for the management of individual cases (e.g. adverse action matters, discrimination, complaints to the Fair Work Ombudsman)
• Being an escalation point for employee relations question from the HR contact centre, including coaching consultants in the provision of general employee relations advice.

We’re interested in hearing from people who have:

• Tertiary qualifications in HR Management, Industrial Relations, law or a related discipline and at least 2 years’ experience in the direct provision of industrial relations advice OR at least 4 years’ experience in the direct provision of industrial relations / employee relations advice.
• Demonstrable experience in the provision of HR policy advice.
• An excellent knowledge of the Australian Industrial Relations environment.
• Well-developed problem solving ability.
• Demonstrated stakeholder management capability
• Strong case management skills and experience
• Strong interpersonal, influencing and communication skills, including the ability to translate complex and technical employee relations issues into pragmatic and plain language solutions fit to audience at all levels in a complex organisational environment

This role is based in Sydney.