What are the responsibilities and job description for the HR Generalist position at Columbia Distributing?
Role Summary
The HR Generalist serves as a trusted partner to employees and leaders, delivering day-to-day HR support across the employee lifecycle. This role executes core people process, provides guidance on HR policies and practices, supports employee relations and compliance, and helps ensure an exceptional employee experience while driving operational excellence.
Key Duties
HR Partnership & Employee Support
- Serve as the primary HR point of contact for employees and leaders within an assigned region or business area, in partnership with HRBP.
- Provide practical guidance on employees and workplace matters.
- Respond to employee questions and help employees navigate HR programs, policies, and resources.
- Partner with HR Business Partners and HR leadership on more complex employees or organizational matters.
Employee Relations & Performance Management
- Provide guidance to leaders on employee relations, performance, attendance, corrective action, and workplace concerns.
- Conduct or support employee relations investigations and recommend the next appropriate steps.
- Coach leaders on effectively addressing employee performance and behavioral issues.
- Promote fair and consistent application of company policies and HR practices.
- Escalating complex or high-risk employee matters as appropriate.
Leave, Benefits & HR Administration
- Support administration of employee leave programs, including coordination of FMLA, state leave programs, disability, and other applicable leaves.
- Assist Benefit program lead with employees’ benefits questions.
Compliance & Policy
- Maintain working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment requirements applicable to assigned locations.
- Help ensure HR practices comply with company policies and applicable employment laws.
- Educate employees and leaders on HR policies, programs, and processes.
- Support required posting, documentation, recordkeeping, and HR compliance activities.
Union & Labor Support, as applicable
- Provide day-to-day HR support within unionized employee populations.
- Assist leaders with interpretation and consistent application of collective bargaining agreement provisions.
- Support employee relations matters involving represented employees.
- Partner with HR and labor leadership on grievances, investigations, corrective actions, and other labor-related matters as needed.
Job-Specific Expectations
Travel - Ability to travel 25% of the time to support specific markets
Job-Specific Skills, Experience & Education
Required
- 3 years of experience in progressive Human Resources experience, preferably in a Generalist or similar broad HR role.
- Demonstrated experience supporting employee relations and performance management.
- Experience interpreting and applying HR policies and employment requirements.
- Experience supporting benefits, leave administration, onboarding, and other employee lifecycle processes.
- Experience supporting unionized employees or labor relations preferred.
- High school diploma or equivalent.
- Minimum age of 18.
- Must be authorized to work in the U.S.
Preferred Education and Experience
- Proficiency with HRIS, preferably ADP, or the ability to quickly learn the organization’s HRIS and talent management system
- Multi-state HR experience.
- Experience supporting unionized employees or labor relations.
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
- Equivalent combination of education and relevant HR experience considered in lieu of degree.
- PHR or SHRM-CP certification