Erikka Hayes
Western Governors University
Suffolk
9
years of professional experience
Strategic Employee Relations leader with 8+ years of progressive HR and Employee Relations experience advising senior leadership on complex workplace investigations, organizational risk, employment law compliance, and employee experience initiatives across manufacturing, logistics, higher education, and global operations. Recognized for building trusted partnerships with business leaders, Legal, and HR to resolve high-risk employee matters while balancing organizational objectives with employee experience. Demonstrated success reducing employee relations escalations by 33%, increasing employee engagement by 25% within six months, reducing turnover by 10%, and improving audit accuracy by 20–30% through strategic leadership coaching, workforce analytics, and process improvements. Experienced supporting organizations of up to 1,000 employees, conducting more than 350 complex workplace investigations throughout my career, mentoring HR professionals, and influencing business decisions through data-driven, scalable employee relations strategies.
Work History
Senior Employee Relations HR Business Partner
2 Years 6 Months- Serve as the senior Employee Relations advisor supporting approximately 300–450 employees, partnering with Senior Directors, Directors, Managers, supervisors, and front-line leaders to navigate complex employee relations matters while balancing organizational objectives, legal compliance, and employee experience.
- Lead more than 200 complex workplace investigations involving harassment, discrimination, retaliation, workplace misconduct, ethics concerns, ADA, FMLA, policy violations, and performance management.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to 5 Directors, 10 Managers, and numerous front-line leaders, providing strategic coaching on high-risk employee matters, organizational change, and leadership effectiveness.
- Partner closely with Legal and outside counsel to manage litigation strategy, unemployment hearings, regulatory compliance, and organizational risk mitigation.
- Reduced employee relations escalations by 33% through proactive trend analysis, coaching, and preventive employee relations strategies.
- Increased employee engagement by 25% within six months by partnering with leadership to improve communication, accountability, and employee experience.
- Reduced turnover by 10% through targeted retention initiatives and leadership coaching.
- Reduced HR audit errors by 20–30% through standardized documentation, governance processes, and monthly operational reviews.
- Analyze employee relations trends to identify systemic organizational risks and recommend enterprise-wide improvements.
- Lead policy interpretation while revising HR practices to ensure compliance with evolving employment regulations.
- Coach leaders through performance management, corrective action, organizational restructuring, ADA accommodations, conflict resolution, and difficult employee conversations.
Senior HR Learning & Development Evaluator
5 Years 10 Months- Evaluate HR professionals using competency-based frameworks to ensure fairness, consistency, and quality.
- Provide coaching designed to improve long-term leadership capability and performance.
- Recommend process improvements supporting scalable learning and organizational effectiveness.
- (Remote)
- Part-Time
Employee Relations Business Partner
9 Months- Served as trusted advisor to leaders on investigations, employee relations strategy, performance management, compliance, and organizational effectiveness.
- Conducted trend analysis to identify systemic workplace concerns and recommend preventive solutions.
- Partnered cross-functionally to strengthen employee experience while reducing organizational risk.
- (Remote)
Senior HR Business Partner & Employee Relations Investigator
2 Years 3 Months- Supported approximately 1,000 employees in a fast-paced, high-volume environment while partnering with operational leadership to manage complex employee relations matters.
- Conducted more than 150 complex workplace investigations annually involving harassment, retaliation, discrimination, ethics, workplace conduct, policy violations, and employee complaints.
- Partnered with Legal and senior leadership to resolve sensitive employee relations matters while minimizing organizational risk.
- Mentored Level 4 HR Business Partners and entry- to mid-level Employee Relations Investigators.
- Coached leaders on documentation, investigations, corrective action, leadership effectiveness, and organizational change.
- Leveraged workforce analytics, engagement data, and exit interview trends to improve retention and employee experience.
- Developed trusted relationships with senior operational leaders, influencing difficult business decisions through data-driven recommendations.
- Key Contributions
HR Business Partner | Employee Relations
2 Years 3 Months- Supported approximately 150 employees across three international locations and two U.S. sites.
- Advised leaders on investigations, employee relations, compliance, organizational development, and workforce planning.
- Wrote and updated HR policies to align with changing employment regulations and organizational needs.
- Partnered with leadership to improve compliance, employee engagement, and operational consistency.
HR Operations & Workforce Management Consultant
10 Months- Consulted with clients to improve HR operations, workforce planning, compliance, and organizational effectiveness.
- Led implementation initiatives designed to improve operational efficiency and HR system utilization.
- Partnered with leadership teams to align workforce strategies with business objectives.
Education
Master of Business Administration (MBA) - Human Resources Management
Bachelor of Science - Psychology
Skills
Employee Relations Strategy
Workplace Investigations
Executive & Leadership Coaching
Organizational Risk Management
Employment Law
ADA / FMLA
Performance Management
Employee Experience
Policy Development
Litigation Support
Workforce Analytics
Root Cause Analysis
Organizational Change
HR Compliance
Case Management
Conflict Resolution
Executive Consultation
Cross-Functional Partnership
Process Improvement
HR Technology (Workday
ADP
PeopleSoft
HR Case Management Systems
Microsoft Copilot
ChatGPT)
SELECTED CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- Conducted 350+ complex workplace investigations involving harassment, retaliation, discrimination, ethics, workplace violence, misconduct, and policy violations throughout career.
- Reduced employee relations escalations by 33% through proactive trend analysis and leadership coaching.
- Increased employee engagement by 25% within six months through strategic partnership and leadership development.
- Reduced voluntary turnover by 10% through targeted employee relations initiatives.
- Reduced HR audit errors by 20–30% by improving governance, documentation, and monthly operational reviews.
- Supported organizations with up to 1,000 employees across multi-site and international operations.
- Partnered directly with Legal, Senior Directors, and outside counsel on litigation, investigations, and unemployment hearings.
- Mentored HR Business Partners and Employee Relations Investigators while developing leadership capability across organizations.
- Trained 40+ leaders on employee relations, investigations, performance management, employment law, and leadership effectiveness.
Timeline
Senior Employee Relations HR Business Partner
Flowserve
01.2024 - CurrentRead More
Employee Relations Business Partner
Pathways
04.2023 - 01.2024Read More
Senior HR Business Partner & Employee Relations Investigator
Amazon
12.2020 - 03.2023Read More
Senior HR Learning & Development Evaluator
Western Governors University
09.2020 - CurrentRead More
HR Business Partner | Employee Relations
Constellis
09.2018 - 12.2020Read More
HR Operations & Workforce Management Consultant
ADP
11.2017 - 09.2018Read More
Virginia State University
Bachelor of Science from Psychology
Read More
Strayer University
Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Human Resources Management
Read More