Labor Relations Director

As a Labor Relations Director, you serve as a liaison between an entire organization and all of its employees. You can work for pretty much any type of organization as a Labor Relations Director—large corporations, nonprofits, government agencies, and so on. The employees you work with might be part of a labor union, or they might not be as formally organized.

The purpose of the Labor Relations Director, is to keep things going smoothly between management and lower-level employees. You mediate issues. For example, if employees are angry over low pay or a lack of health benefits, you negotiate with them.

It’s your job to make the employees happy so strikes are avoided and they continue to work. At the same time, you want to make sure you don’t go over budget, or agree to more than management is willing to give.

Get ready to give a lot of presentations and do a lot of communicating. You research and then educate on the latest government regulations and labor laws. You explain these laws to both management and entry-level employees, and then handle complaints if those laws aren’t being kept. Your other responsibilities include negotiating new contracts, organizing employee drug testing, and serving as a mentor during difficult Manager – employee relations issues.

Like any director, you oversee the work of others. This means you’re in charge of hiring and firing employees as well as doing periodic employee evaluations.