Human Resources Generalist

DESCRIPTION

Pita Way is a fast-growing restaurant organization with approximately 55 restaurant locations and an expanding portfolio that includes two additional restaurant concepts. As we continue to grow, we are building an HR team capable of supporting our employees, managers, field leadership, and rapidly expanding operations.

We are looking for an experienced, organized, and people-focused Human Resources Generalist to join our team at our headquarters in Waterford, Michigan. This is an on-site corporate position that will report directly to and work closely with our Human Resources Director.

This is a hands-on HR position supporting employees and leadership across a large, multi-location restaurant organization. The ideal candidate understands that restaurant HR moves quickly and requires strong judgment, excellent communication, consistency, confidentiality, and the ability to manage multiple employee matters at the same time.

Employee Relations & Manager Support

• Serve as a primary HR resource for restaurant managers, field leaders, and employees regarding day-to-day HR questions and concerns.
• Respond to employee complaints, workplace concerns, conflicts, policy questions, and other employee relations matters.
• Conduct or assist with workplace investigations, including interviewing employees, gathering statements, reviewing documentation, and preparing investigation summaries.
• Partner with the HR Director on sensitive, complex, or high-risk employee relations matters.
• Help managers address attendance, conduct, performance, communication, and workplace behavior concerns appropriately and consistently.
• Coach restaurant managers and field leaders on proper documentation and employee relations practices.
• Help ensure corrective actions are supported by appropriate documentation and consistent application of company policy.
• Review disciplinary documentation and assist management with written warnings, performance improvement plans, and other corrective actions.
• Assist with separation and termination processes and ensure required documentation is completed and maintained.
• Identify recurring employee or management issues and bring trends to the attention of the HR Director.

Recruiting, Hiring & Onboarding

• Support recruiting efforts across restaurant locations and corporate/support positions as needed.
• Assist managers with job postings, candidate screening, interview coordination, and hiring processes.
• Ensure managers follow consistent and legally appropriate interviewing and hiring practices.
• Prepare or coordinate offer letters and new-hire documentation.
• Oversee completion of required onboarding documents.
• Monitor I-9 and employment eligibility documentation and help maintain accurate records.
• Support background screening or other pre-employment processes when applicable.
• Help ensure new employees receive appropriate company policies, required documents, and onboarding information.
• Work with operations leadership to continuously improve the hiring and onboarding experience.

Payroll Support

• Assist with payroll processing as needed, including potentially supporting or completing payroll once or twice per week depending on business needs.
• Review employee timecards for accuracy and help resolve missed punches, incorrect hours, PTO, sick time, and other timekeeping issues before payroll is processed.
• Ensure new hires, terminations, pay-rate changes, promotions, transfers, bonuses, and other employee updates are accurately reflected in the payroll and HR systems.
• Help employees and managers resolve payroll-related questions or discrepancies.
• Work closely with the HR Director, accounting team, and/or payroll provider to ensure payroll is completed accurately and on time.
• Maintain confidentiality and accuracy when handling sensitive payroll and compensation information.
• Help ensure payroll practices remain compliant with applicable federal, state, and local wage-and-hour requirements.

HR Compliance

• Help ensure company practices comply with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws.
• Maintain awareness of changing employment regulations in the states and communities where the company operates.
• Support compliance relating to wage and hour requirements, overtime, minor employment requirements, paid sick leave, FMLA and other protected leave, ADA accommodations, equal employment opportunity, harassment and discrimination prevention, employment eligibility and I-9 requirements, record retention, and required workplace postings.
• Assist the HR Director in reviewing and updating company policies when regulations change.
• Help monitor consistency between company policy and actual practices at restaurant locations.
• Participate in periodic HR audits of employee records and location-level compliance.
• Escalate potential compliance risks to the HR Director promptly.

Performance Management & Corrective Action

• Support managers through employee performance and conduct issues.
• Help managers create clear and appropriate written documentation.
• Maintain records relating to coaching, warnings, disciplinary actions, and performance improvement plans.
• Assist leadership in determining appropriate next steps while promoting consistency across locations.
• Track significant employee relations and disciplinary matters so patterns can be identified.
• Help ensure managers understand when HR involvement is required before employment decisions are made.

Leave, Benefits & Employee Support

• Assist employees and managers with questions relating to company benefits, PTO, sick time, and leave programs.
• Coordinate and track employee leave requests.
• Support administration of FMLA, ADA accommodations, and other applicable leave requirements in partnership with the HR Director and applicable vendors.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality relating to medical or other protected employee information.
• Help employees navigate HR processes and direct complex benefits matters to the appropriate resource.

HRIS, Employee Records & Documentation

• Maintain accurate employee information within the company's HRIS and other HR systems.
• Maintain organized and confidential electronic and physical employee records.
• Audit employee files for completeness and accuracy.
• Ensure employment status changes, promotions, transfers, compensation changes, and terminations are properly documented.
• Maintain HR forms, templates, investigation records, corrective action documentation, and employee correspondence.
• Help improve HR workflows and reduce unnecessary manual processes.
• Prepare reports and HR data as requested by the HR Director.
• Help track HR metrics such as turnover, hiring activity, employee relations cases, attendance trends, and other workforce information.

Multi-Unit Restaurant Support

Because this role supports approximately 55 restaurants and two additional concepts, the HR Generalist must be comfortable operating in a fast-paced, decentralized environment.

Responsibilities will include:

• Building strong working relationships with restaurant Team Leaders, managers, field leaders, and other operations leadership.
• Helping ensure HR policies are applied consistently from location to location.
• Supporting employees working different schedules, including nights and weekends when necessary.
• Managing a high volume of employee questions and issues while appropriately prioritizing urgent matters.
• Understanding the unique HR challenges associated with hourly restaurant employees.
• Helping managers improve employee retention and workplace culture.
• Supporting new restaurant openings and company expansion from an HR perspective.
• Assisting with hiring and onboarding processes during periods of rapid growth.
• Identifying locations or managers that may require additional HR coaching or support.
• Visiting restaurant locations periodically when HR presence is beneficial.

Training & Leadership Development

• Assist the HR Director with HR-related manager training.
• Help educate managers on hiring, interviewing, documentation, employee relations, harassment prevention, performance management, and termination procedures.
• Reinforce company policies and expectations with restaurant leadership.
• Help develop HR resources, guides, forms, and training materials for managers.
• Identify opportunities where additional manager training could prevent recurring employee issues.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate is someone who can balance employee advocacy, business needs, consistency, and compliance .

This individual should be comfortable having difficult conversations, investigating sensitive situations, coaching managers, and making sound recommendations without becoming overwhelmed by the fast pace of restaurant operations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Management, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant HR experience will also be considered.
• 3+ years of Human Resources experience, preferably in an HR Generalist or similar role.
• Working knowledge of federal and state employment laws and HR best practices.
• Experience handling employee relations matters and workplace investigations.
• Experience supporting managers with disciplinary and performance issues.
• Experience with recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and employee documentation.
• Strong written communication and documentation skills.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information appropriately.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and employee matters simultaneously.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with employees at every level of the organization.
• Comfortable working independently while knowing when an issue should be escalated to the HR Director.
• Proficiency with HRIS platforms, Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, or similar business systems.
• Ability to work on-site at our Waterford, Michigan headquarters.

Highly Preferred

• HR experience supporting a multi-unit restaurant, hospitality, retail, franchise, or other high-volume hourly workforce .
• Experience supporting employees across multiple states.
• Experience working with a workforce containing a significant number of hourly employees.
• Experience conducting employee investigations.
• Knowledge of wage-and-hour compliance in restaurant environments.
• Experience with HRIS implementation, maintenance, or auditing.
• Experience supporting new location openings or rapidly growing organizations.
• SHRM-CP, PHR, or similar HR certification.

Successful Candidates Will Be

• Highly organized
• Approachable and professional
• Calm under pressure
• Comfortable having difficult conversations
• Fair and consistent
• Detail-oriented
• Responsive
• Able to maintain confidentiality
• Strong at documentation
• Comfortable coaching managers
• Able to distinguish between an urgent HR issue and a routine matter
• Willing to ask questions and escalate issues when appropriate
• Comfortable working in a growing organization where processes continue to evolve

What Success Looks Like

A successful HR Generalist at Pita Way will help create an HR department that restaurant managers and employees can rely on.

Success in this role means:

• Employee concerns are addressed promptly and professionally.
• Managers receive clear and consistent HR guidance.
• Investigations and disciplinary matters are properly documented.
• Employee records are accurate and organized.
• Hiring and onboarding processes operate smoothly.
• Locations consistently follow HR policies and procedures.
• Compliance concerns are identified before they become larger problems.
• The HR Director has a dependable partner who can independently manage day-to-day HR operations.
• HR processes can continue to scale as Pita Way and our additional concepts grow.

Why Join Pita Way?

Pita Way is continuing to grow, which makes this an opportunity to join an HR department where your work will have a direct impact on the organization.

This position is based at our Waterford, Michigan headquarters , giving the HR Generalist direct access to the HR Director and other members of company leadership while still maintaining regular interaction with our restaurant teams.

Rather than working in a narrowly defined HR position, you will gain exposure to virtually every area of Human Resources while supporting a large and growing restaurant organization.

You will work directly with our HR Director and operations leadership and have an opportunity to help build and improve the HR systems, processes, training, and culture that will support the company's next stage of growth.

Pita Way is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and are committed to providing a professional and respectful workplace.

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Management, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant HR experience will also be considered.
• 3+ years of Human Resources experience, preferably in an HR Generalist or similar role.
• Working knowledge of federal and state employment laws and HR best practices.
• Experience handling employee relations matters and workplace investigations.
• Ability to work on-site at our Waterford, Michigan headquarters.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with employees at every level of the organization.

Pita Way is a fast-growing restaurant company built around fresh food, strong teams, and a commitment to creating a great experience for both our guests and our employees.

What started as a single restaurant has grown into a multi-location organization with approximately 55 restaurants and two additional developing concepts. As we continue expanding, we are focused on building the systems, leadership, and support teams needed to grow the right way.

Our culture is fast-paced, hands-on, and team-oriented. We value people who take ownership, communicate well, solve problems, and are comfortable working in an environment where no two days are exactly the same.

At Pita Way, our support team works closely with restaurant leadership to help our locations operate successfully, develop strong teams, and maintain consistency as the company grows.

This is an exciting time to join Pita Way. Our continued expansion creates opportunities for team members to grow with the organization, take on meaningful responsibility, and play a direct role in helping shape the future of the company.