This Bureau is responsible for the leadership, management, and implementation of enterprise Workforce Relations, policy administration, performance management programs, policies, standards, and procedures. BWR responsibilities include:
- Administration of disciplinary grievance investigations process, WLEA arbitration procedures and WERC proceedings. This includes conducting regional/agency disciplinary investigations, fact findings and climate assessments; processing all agency/region requests to skip progressive discipline and reviewing, approving, modifying, or denying requests prior to agency/region action being taken; conducting and responding to agency/region step 2 grievances; and reviewing and processing public safety step 3 grievances.
- Administration of the state's collective bargaining negotiations process and agreements. This includes administering and providing guidance on agency and union statutory labor relations obligations and activities. Negotiating collective bargaining agreements; contract administration and interpretation.
- Providing regular consultation with and providing expert advice to agency executive leaders, supervisors, and agency/region human resources regarding the interpretation and consistent application of employee relations and performance management policies, grievances, corrective actions, training of staff and existing collective bargaining agreements.
- Creating and/or revising workforce relations related Wisconsin Human Resources Handbook Chapters.
- Policy Development Records, & Data Management. This includes Handbook Chapters, policy/ rule development, open records management, form digitization, development, updates, policy bulletins, statutes and Administrative Codes, legislative matters, 508 Compliance.
- Leading meetings with statewide human resources and employment relations staff to cover agency issues, prevailing cases, shared services issues, and policy creation.
- Provide training and development to HR and employment relations staff, managers, supervisors, and enterprise management development academy employees on employment relations areas including discipline, just cause, due process, performance improvement plans, etc.