Employee Relations Specialist at GEMS

Overview

The position of Employee Relations Specialist is vacant. The Employee Relations Specialist will report directly to the Senior Manager : Human Resources Operations and form part of the Corporate Services Division. The position is a permanent role based at Head Office in Pretoria.

The total remuneration package for this position is between R1 109 620 and R1 386 956 per annum, based on qualifications and experience. The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 24 September 2025.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement employee relations policies and procedures.
• Prepare templates and standardised communication formats to ensure consistency and legal compliance across all formal employee communications.
• Lead and facilitate management / union collective bargaining processes and manage union / management structures and communications.
• Conduct workplace investigations relating to employee misconduct, policy violations, and harassment / discrimination claims.
• Mediate workplace conflicts and facilitate resolution between employees or divisions.
• Draft and distribute all employee relations communications, including disciplinary notices, warning letters, hearing notifications, suspension letters, termination documents, and other formal correspondence in line with organisational policies and legal requirements.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation of all disciplinary proceedings and ensure proper record-keeping for all employee relations matters.
• Manage grievance procedures and employee complaints.
• Ensure compliance with labour legislation and employment contracts.
• Manage all disciplinary enquiries.
• Represent the organisation at CCMA, Labor Court and other forums.
• Provide expert advice on all Employee Relations matters.
• Develop and implement employee engagement initiatives to foster positive workplace relations.
• Monitor industry trends and legislative changes to ensure organisational policies remain compliant and current.
• Analyse employee relations metrics and prepare comprehensive reports for senior management.
• Collaborate with HR Business Partners to address complex employee relations issues.
• Develop and maintain effective dispute resolution mechanisms.
• Provide coaching to line managers on handling disciplinary matters.
• Create and implement strategies to prevent labour disputes and minimize workforce disruptions.
• Design and deliver training programs on employee relations topics for managers and employees.
• Support organisational change management initiatives from an employee relations perspective.

Qualifications & Experience

Skills

Behavioural Competencies

Desirable

Additional Information

Interested? GEMS employs people with the highest level of integrity. Submission to the appropriate pre-employment assessment is obligatory to be considered for the position.

Note : information provided on application may be shared with a third party for vetting purposes and stored by GEMS for a period of 5 years. Information is collected for Employment Equity purposes and used strictly for the intended purposes unless consent is granted for another use. If you wish to have your information removed from the GEMS database, please send a written request to the email address provided.

GEMS adopts a hybrid work model. GEMS is guided by the principles of employment equity. Preference may be given to groups underrepresented in accordance with GEMS employment equity plan. Successful candidates will be required to seek approval to conduct other work outside of GEMS. GEMS employees are expected to reflect the organisation's values : Excellence, Member Value, Integrity, Innovation, and Collaboration.

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