Employee Relations Partner

Employee Relations Partner

We are looking for a principled, empathetic, and detail-oriented Employee Relations Partner to serve as a centralized expert for our most complex people matters during a critical phase of hypergrowth.

At Abby Care, our Employee Relations function is the guardian of our culture and our commitment to fairness. Because our mission is centered on supporting families, our workplace challenges cannot be solved with a "one-size-fits-all" HR handbook. They require deep judgment, legal awareness, and a "families-first" lens. We believe that by handling every escalation with empathy, urgency, and precision, we create a more stable and supportive environment for the caregivers who provide life-changing care every day.

This role is for a builder and an advocate who thrives in dynamic, high-paced environments and is energized by the "gray areas" of human behavior. You will handle the nuanced, high-stakes situations that impact the livelihoods of our team, ranging from HQ employees to our family caregivers, ensuring that every outcome is fair, consistent, and aligned with our mission.

As a centralized expert, you will take the lead on all ER issues, owning the end-to-end investigation process, providing high-touch support to managers, and helping us architect a scalable ER infrastructure that maintains the integrity of our family-first promise as we expand nationwide.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead employee relations: Independently manage the end-to-end lifecycle of employee relations cases. You will oversee the intake, triage, and resolution of ER issues, ensuring every voice is heard and every case is documented with precision, care, and extreme attention to detail.

• Lead investigations: Lead, with a high level of discretion and judgment, end-to-end internal investigations into allegations of misconduct, harassment, or policy violations. You will own the entire process, from architecting the investigation plan and interviewing witnesses to delivering final, evidence-based recommendations and documentation.

• Fairness in Action: Ensure that disciplinary actions and terminations are handled with dignity and consistency.

• Support our leaders and People team: Serve as a high-touch consultant to managers and the People team (especially HRBPs) on ER-related topics, including complex accommodations, disciplinary actions, and policy interpretation. You act as an objective, confidential intermediary to help resolve disputes before they escalate.

• De-escalation and coaching: Act as a steady sounding board for managers facing high-tension conversations. You will coach leaders on how to approach difficult discussions with a focus on de-escalation, empathy, and clarity, ensuring they feel supported in even the most challenging moments.

• Adjudication and compliance: Lead the coordination and adjudication of background checks and employment eligibility for our diverse population. You will apply sound judgment and legal awareness to ensure we are audit-ready and compliant while maintaining our commitment to fair-chance hiring.

• Build our employee relations infrastructure: Help us move from early-stage workflows to a structured, scalable ER function. You will lead the implementation and maintenance of ER policies, SOPs (standard operating procedures) for investigations, and grievance frameworks that will support our nationwide expansion.

• Strategically partner with the business: In addition to solving individual cases, you will identify systemic trends. You'll track ER metrics and use data to surface insights, partnering with leadership to design and deliver proactive training or cultural interventions that address recurring issues at the root.

The Requirements:

• Experience: 5-8+ years of progressive HR experience, with at least 3+ years dedicated specifically to Employee Relations. You have thrived in a high-growth startup environment or a complex healthcare organization where you had to build or refine processes from the ground up.

• Employee relations mastery: You have a proven track record of independently managing complex investigations and high-risk performance cases. You have the ability to see situations from all perspectives and work through conflicts to find the best possible outcomes for everyone involved.

• Experience with a diverse workforce: You have experience supporting a mixed workforce of salaried professionals, hourly/non-exempt workers, and contractors. You understand the specific operational and compliance nuances that come with a high-volume, multi-state, and global worker population.

• Objective empathy: You build human connections easily. You possess deep emotional intelligence and "objective empathy" - the ability to stay grounded and fair while genuinely caring about the people involved in a dispute.

• Regulatory knowledge: You have deep, practical knowledge of federal and state employment laws. You can navigate regulations (e.g., FLSA, FMLA, CFRA, ADA) and apply them to real-world scenarios with common sense.

• Operational agility: You are a "builder" at heart with extreme ownership of execution. You are comfortable moving a company from scrappy processes to a structured ER function and enjoy driving projects with well-defined outcomes.

• Uncompromising judgment and discretion: You possess a high level of professional judgment and adaptive critical thinking skills. You handle every case and all sensitive information with the highest level of confidentiality. You are comfortable being the "calm in the storm" for managers and employees alike.

• Communication and coaching: You possess strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with everyone from executives to caregivers. You treat internal support as a mission-critical priority.

• Analytical and data-driven mindset: You apply business judgment and strategic thinking to what you see. You use data to find answers, understand organizational insights, and present trends to leadership.

• Learning and growth mindset: You are constantly seeking to improve yourself and the employee experience. You stay curious about external trends and are always looking for ways to refine our "Families-First" approach.

• Modern tech stack fluency: You thrive in a cloud-native environment. You are highly proficient in Slack and Google Workspace (G Suite), using them for rapid communication and real-time collaboration. You are comfortable navigating multiple SaaS platforms simultaneously and prefer agile, digital workflows over static files and email chains.

Bonus Points for:

• Experience with Medicaid-funded home care programs or government-regulated payment structures.

• Certification: SHRM-CP/SCP, PHR/SPHR, or a J.D.

Benefits:

• Competitive compensation packages that reflect the value you bring. We reward our team for the impact of their work full-time employees are eligible for an annual company performance bonus.

• Comprehensive health coverage that works for you. Choose from high-quality medical dental and vision options, including a $0 deductible PPO and a company-funded HSA, alongside employer-paid life and disability insurance.

• Generous paid time off. We provide policies that allow you to recharge along with 10 paid company holidays.

• Financial savings benefits to support your future. We support your financial well-being with HSA contributions, optional FSA and commuter benefits, and full coverage of all 401(k) account fees (employer match not currently offered).

• Paid parental leave to support your growing family. We provide paid leave, so you can focus on bonding and adjusting to life as your family grows.

We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds, consistent with applicable laws. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check, satisfactory references, and any required documentation.

Our Values:

1. Families First Redefining healthcare starts with how we treat the parents and children we serve. We go above and beyond for every family, building strong, lasting relationships. We continually ask ourselves, "Would we want this for our own families?"

2. Urgency with Precision Millions of families are waiting for care, and they cannot wait, therefore this is not your typical 9 to 5 job. We match their urgency with our own, delivering exceptional care without compromise. Here, speed and excellence go hand in hand.

3. Relentlessly Resourceful As an ambitious startup, we adapt quickly and make the most of limited time and resources. We solve challenges with creativity to deliver results without unnecessary complexity.

4. Purpose with Positiv