Where Is Your ERS?

Employee Relations Specialists (ERS's) provide advice and guidance on employee and labor relations matters. ERS's service various agencies and organizational units as follows:  APHIS Employee Relations Branch (PDF)

ERS's Help Supervisors

Some of the ways in which an ERS can help supervisors are as follows: 

1. Advise how to handle a situation involving an employee performance, conduct, or labor relations issue;

2. Assist with a decision of what alternative action or what disciplinary action may be appropriate;

3. Locate and interpret pertinent regulations;

4. Help determine if a regulation was properly communicated to an employee;

5. Help determine if a rule was violated by an employee, and whether it was enforced with discipline in the past;

6. Explain how to counsel and document properly;

7. If necessary, conduct further factfinding or an investigation;

8. Advise on alternatives to traditional discipline;

9. If official disciplinary action is warranted, assist in defining an appropriate penalty for the offense(s); 

10. Write official disciplinary letters for the supervisor's signature (based on input from the supervisor);

11. Explain pertinent employee's rights and the regulations therein;

12. Advise and assist with grievances; and

13. Defend disciplinary actions taken by the Agency that go before a third party (i.e., arbitration or the Merit Systems Protection Board). 

ERS's Help Employees

Some of the ways in which an Employee Relations Specialist (ERS) can help employees are as follows: 

1. Answer questions on employee or labor relations matters;

2. Locate and interpret pertinent regulations;

3. Explain employee's rights and the regulations therein;

4. Explain the disciplinary/adverse action process;

5. Explain the administrative or negotiated grievance process;

6. If the employee alleges discrimination, provide the telephone number of the Civil Rights Enforcement and Compliance (CREC) office, or the name of an Equal Employment Opportunity counselor; or

7. Explain applicable regulations pertaining to bargaining unit employees (i.e., Weingarten right).