Leave of Absence Specialist

Job Description:
Role Overview:
This position will provide support to employees and managers through the leave of absence experience. The Leave of Absence Specialist is the primary assigned Bank of America case manager for the employee through the life of the leave. The Specialist will explain leave of absence policies to employees and guide employees and managers through leave of absence processes. The Specialist will assist employees who experience an issue during their leave, conveying caring and empathy for the employee’s situation and explaining resolution. Working with multiple vendors and vendor systems, the Specialist will fully research data and transaction histories to identify processing issues and downstream impacts. The Leave of Absence Specialist will fully review all aspects of a leave of absence situation and make recommendations regarding resolution of complicated issues.

Key Areas of Responsibility:
Issue Management: The Leave of Absence Specialist will be the primary point of contact for the employee. The Specialist will de-escalate, calm and ease the employee’s concerns while conveying compassion and caring for the employee’s situation. Explain the issue, implications to time away from work, pay, benefits, employment, systems access and other downstream implications to the employee; describe resolution. Ensure resolution is fully compliant with plan rules and legal regulations, while balancing employee perspective. Convey adverse decisions to the employee with caring and firmness. Discern when to engage Design and Legal partners to consider alternate solutions. Coordinate with Employee Relations, Worker’s Compensation, Accommodations and others as necessary to ensure all aspects of employee situation have been appropriately decisioned and completed.

Research: Thoroughly research leave of absence cases based on the data trail and transaction histories from multiple processing systems. Create full timeline of processing and data transactions. Determine whether processing was correct or contained errors. Determine all impacts to downstream processes including leave (time away from work), employment, health and insurance benefits, pay, IT systems access and other benefits. Fully piece together impacts to data streams when retro processing occurs.

Guidance and education: The Leave of Absence Specialist will reach out to employees who have a leave situation that may result in a confusing experience. The Specialist will fully explain the situation and set expectations for all related impacts to the employee. Convey Bank policies and processes neutrally and objectively while expressing empathy to the employee.

Required skills :
Minimum 3 years expertise in Leaves of Absence and Disability products, policies, regulations and services and/or expertise in Health & Insurance benefits and payroll processing.

Bachelor’s degree and / or relatable equivalent work experience.

Excellent communication skills – must be able to explain complex topics to lay people in clear, concise and understandable terms and able to distill lots of data points and evidence into a coherent summary.

Proven ability to provide superb customer care; strive for simplicity and transparency, demonstrating caring, empathy, patience and listening skills.

Relationship management skills including the ability to interact communicate and influence peers and partners.

Ability to weigh the relative importance, adequacy, and validity of information to form fact-based solutions and provide sound recommendations.

Ability to manage multiple cases simultaneously and resolve in a timely manner.

Ability to ensure appropriate application of plan rules and legal regulations while maintaining a positive employee experience

Ability to handle confidential and proprietary information with discretion, and balance risk and reward with a strong focus on compliance.

Strong analytical skills – experience researching, gathering, organizing, and analyzing large amounts of data

Able to multi-task including the ability to talk, type and probe deeper real time

Proficiency with computers, including MS Office and Internet applications. Strong typing skills and the ability to effectively multi-task with a high level of proficiency. Ability to effectively document notes in a clear and concise manner

Demonstrates a sense of commitment to work and willingly assumes responsibility for accomplishing objectives; is dependable, and conscientiously follows through on commitments

Demonstrates the ability to concentrate on a task, despite interruptions, distractions and competing demands

Desired Skills:
Knowledge of Employee Relations regulations and policies

Experience in escalations and issue management

Knowledge of Health & Insurance products, policies and services

Knowledge of Payroll processes

Ability to identify data processing implications of retro processing and special circumstances

Shift: 1st shift (United States of America)

Hours Per Week: 40