Plant HR Generalist

In this position... 

The Plant HR Generalist position at a manufacturing plant requires a dynamic individual with a passion for customer service and a desire to learn business operations. The role encompasses a wide range of responsibilities including employee engagement, labor relations, compliance, and community outreach. This role is required to be on-site in a manufacturing setting, and to have strong communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills. They will be responsible for fostering a positive and productive work environment, ensuring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, and supporting the company's overall business objectives.

What you'll do...

Employee Relations and Business Partnership

• Business Acumen: Leverages knowledge of the business to develop rapport and relationships within their customer group (ie: Team Managers) to identify solutions that drive sustainable cultural change and support the achievement of business objectives.
• HR Service Delivery: Supports the execution of Labor COE and HRBO designed products and services within their customer group to positively impact both the hourly and salaried employee life cycles.
• Employee Engagement: Fosters a positive and inclusive hourly and salary employee experience through proactive initiatives based on feedback through employee opinion surveys, suggestions, and open-door policies and DEI initiatives, to boost engagement and address areas for improvement, and engages in employee recognition events, planning, etc. Conducts daily floor walks in designated customer area to build positive relationships with employees, ensure HR availability, and develop ability to detect early warning indicators.
• Lean Methodology: Leverages lean methodology in collaboration with internal departments, external vendors, auditors, and consultants to make decisions, problem solve and drive effective change management programs.
• Employee Communication: Partners with local communications staff to implement roll out and execute relevant communications to foster an informed employee population and 2-way communication across all shifts.
• Compliance: Ensures compliance with employment laws, regulations, and company policies. 
• Community Engagement: Supports interactions with local governmental agencies and coordinates charitable activities to support the plant's community engagement efforts.
• Data Analytics: Monitors key workforce metrics to identify potential risks and mitigating actions that support recommendations for operating leaders that drive people decisions. 
• Contract Interpretation: Collaborates closely with customer group and relevant union representatives to ensure correct implementation and accurate interpretation of the contract terms, addressing inquiries, grievances, and other union-related issues for consistent application. Resolves employee union issues, such as conflicts, disputes, and disciplinary matters, ensuring fairness, consistency, and timeliness. 
• Investigations: Supports investigations within their assigned customer group, ensuring that all disciplinary issues, grievances, and arbitration matters are handled in a timely and effective manner. Assesses the severity of each case and escalates significant concerns to the Manager, HR Generalist as required. Escalates all types of discrimination charges and complaints in partnership with legal counsel on lawsuit discovery and litigation preparation. Leverages conflict resolution and critical thinking skills to conduct investigations.
• Health and Safety: Works closely with safety and occupational health leads to address employee health and wellness concerns, support safety audits, wellness programs.

Labor Relations

• Union Relations: Resolves union issues such as conflicts, disputes, and disciplinary matters, with fairness and consistency in a timely manner. Actively participates in collective bargaining process and negotiations where support is needed. Ensures rep comp is completed accurately and timely within the constraints of the contractual agreement.
• Case Management: Effectively manages assigned cases and grievances within their customer group. Monitors volume for workload and emerging trends, Responds to ethics and compliance hotline as necessary.
• Payroll, Time and Attendance: Executes payroll and attendance tracking processes including attendance hearings, issuing 10-day quit letters, updating system codes, vacation usage, and running necessary reports. Applies knowledge of leaves of absences policies, rules and regulations include the Family and Medical Leave Act and its interaction with worker’s compensation and Americans with Disabilities Act to administer and track in relevant HRIS systems.
• Manpower Administration: Supports the talent management process for hourly employees within their customer group including: TFT /TPT placement and tracking, support skill trades hiring / apprenticeship program administration, outside contracting, internal and external hourly hiring processes, reskilling, transferring, retirement separation packages, tracking and processing, team leader 30/60/90-day review processes, and manpower reporting.

Work Requirements:

This role requires onsite presence at the manufacturing plant to fulfill job responsibilities. Involves occasional (defined as one-third or less of the time) lifting of no more than 10 pounds at a time. Work is performed primarily in a seated position and entails no significant stooping, climbing, etc. Role does require time walking and standing on plant manufacturing floor at least 20% of the time. Many sedentary jobs require good use of the hands and fingers for repetitive hand-finger actions. Working conditions occur within low to moderate noise levels related to the use of standard office or classroom equipment.