HR Associate, Employee Relations (Hybrid Remote & On-site)

Location: Hybrid (Remote & On-site in Chicago office)

Reports to: VP, People

The Role:  

Axiom is seeking an Associate, People Generalist to join our global People team. This role offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to the full employee lifecycle of our growing legal talent population (consisting of lawyers, paralegals and legal consultants), as well as our global population regarding benefits. This is a hands-on HR position, and the successful candidate will focus on employee relations (performance conversations, complaints and investigations support), generalist HR functions, and U.S. benefits support. This role requires curiosity, resourcefulness, analytical thinking, proactivity and collaboration. Although based in Chicago, this role will support our global team, located across the US, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia.

The ideal candidate will be confident in navigating complex interpersonal situations, willing to pick up the phone to get things done, and able to work independently or as part of a team in a hybrid work environment. They are someone who thrives in ambiguity, values being a trusted partner to employees and leaders, and isn’t afraid to step into challenging situations with confidence. They are adaptable, accountable and values driven. They enjoy solving problems, improving processes, and being a core part of a collaborative People team.

About Axiom:

Axiom is where legal teams go to find the right talent for everything from routine in-house tasks to complex outside counsel work. Too many legal departments are stuck having to choose between paying the high fees of their law firm, hiring full-time employees they don’t need, or turning to a low-cost agency that can’t meet their quality standards. At the same time, top lawyers want to work on challenging legal matters, but they want more control over how, when, and where they practice. Both are forced compromises that no one should have to make. Axiom shares and meets the higher standards of its clients and lawyers, with our “work smarter, adapt faster, go further” approach – connecting growing mid-market and Fortune 500 companies with the world’s deepest bench of experienced, specialized legal talent.

About you:

• Our People Reflect Our Values! We are:
  • Innovative: We generate new, creative, and disruptive ideas to change the status quo in their fields
  • Performance Oriented: We possess an unbelievable work ethic and unwavering commitment to quality
  • Cross-functionally collaborative: We bring others together, creating strong relationships across lines of difference
  • Data & Fact Based: We seek to understand and learn from information and perspectives everywhere
  • Customer First: We aim to delight our clients and legal talent at every opportunity

Responsibilities: 

• Support employee relations matters and investigations (e.g., misconduct, performance, policy violations) and successful resolution in partnership with the Manager Talent Partner and our in-house Legal team.
• Assist with developing, reviewing, and implementing HR policies and procedures, continually seeking to improve processes and guidelines, suggesting and developing improvements with other members of the People team where required.
• Serve as a point of contact and flexible support for benefits inquiries, projects and support, as needed.
• Support HR operations and serve as a point of contact for people processes related to the employee lifecycle such as onboarding, coaching and development, performance and talent management, people compliance, leaves of absence, people policies and general employee support.
• Maintain accurate and confidential employee records and documentation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and support HR initiatives that improve employee engagement and organizational culture.
• Communicate confidently with employees and leaders, both in writing and verbally, to resolve issues and provide guidance.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with internal teams and oversee project work to ensure cohesive delivery of HR programs and services to the wider business.
• Advise and coach our Legal Talent people managers on how to handle performance issues on an ongoing basis

Essential Criteria: 

• Bachelor’s degree required or equivalent
• 2-3 years of experience working in an HR Generalist or Talent Management role or role with similar skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (especially Word, Excel, Outlook) and experience using an HRIS.
• Understanding of HR fundamentals, employment practices, U.S. compliance, and best practices.
• Demonstrated experience conducting or supporting employee relations investigations or performance-related conversations.
• Commercially aware, being able to assess appropriate responses to employee-related situations and issues
• Excellent communication skills and ability to communicate clearly, empathetically, and assertively across all levels of the organization.
• Self-motivated with a high level of initiative and the ability to work independently in a remote or hybrid setting.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Comfortable handling sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Willingness to learn and desire to continuously gain knowledge and develop key skills in the field of HR to grow.

Desirable Criteria: 

• Experience using HR / Talent Management Systems (e.g. Workday) 
• Experience supporting U.S. benefits administration (e.g., open enrollment, claims resolution, vendor coordination).
• Familiarity with managing or advising on difficult conversations with employees or managers.
• Exposure to compliance audits.
• Experience working with global teams
• Previous experience working in a hybrid or fully remote environment.
• Experience working in a fast-paced, high-growth, or multi-state organization.

Axiom’s total rewards philosophy is to be transparent and equitable with all job candidates. The annual base salary range for this role based in Chicago is $52,000-$57,000. You will also be eligible to participate in our Annual Incentive Bonus Plan which on target would be 15% of your base salary for an Associate level role on Axiom's People Team (PAX). You can also participate in our benefits programs that include healthcare, life and disability coverage, 401K with company match, paid sick and personal time off, paid parental leave and more. Please note that the final compensation is determined by several considerations, including the quality of your experience and expertise, your ability to immediately contribute to Axiom, your potential to move up to the next level, the market you are located in, and other business considerations.

Accommodation for Individuals with Disabilities: Upon request and consistent with applicable laws, Axiom will attempt to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in the application process. To request an accommodation to complete the application form, please contact us at [email protected] and include “Applicant Accommodation” in the subject line.