Employee relations work is complex, and the stakes are high. Employee relations professionals are expected to navigate sensitive concerns, reduce organizational risk, support employees and leaders and drive consistent outcomes in high-emotion moments. That’s a lot to manage alone…but luckily, you don’t have to.
That’s because empowER™ exists.
empowER is the only online community exclusively for employee relations professionals, built to make it easier to learn, connect and solve real ER challenges together. It’s free to join and brings together 7,000+ ER leaders and practitioners with practical resources, events, peer discussion and exclusive training opportunities. That’s what we’re here to walk you through today.
We’ll break down empowER training opportunities, what makes them unique, why these courses exist and what to expect when you attend.
TLDR: empowER Training Opportunities
empowER, the first-of-its-kind community for employee relations professionals created by HR Acuity, offers live, practical training focused on two foundational employee relations skillsets: Workplace mediation & conflict resolution training and employee investigation training. (Both are virtual, live and built for immediate application.)
What is empowER?
empowER is an online community built exclusively for employee relations professionals. Because it operates under the Chatham House Rule, conversations within empowER remain confidential — offering ER practitioners a rare space to discuss real challenges, pressure-test approaches and learn from peers who understand the unique nature of employee relations work.
empowER Members Get Access To:
In addition to training opportunities, empowER members can access:
- Playbooks, templates, and ER resources (on demand)
- Interactive, member-led discussions on timely topics
- Expert-led events built for practical application
- A space to share job openings or explore ER roles
- A confidential peer learning environment where members can ask questions, seek advice and share insights
Why Does empowER Offer Employee Relations Training?
Employee relations teams are asked to do a lot at once: Listen well, de-escalate conflict, investigate consistently and advise leaders under pressure. But most training options are either too generic, too theoretical or not designed for the realities of employee relations work (volume, urgency, emotion, risk).
empowER training is designed to help ER teams build repeatable approaches in the areas that most influence outcomes:
- Earlier resolution and less escalation through structured conflict resolution and mediation skills
- More defensible investigations through stronger planning, interviewing, evidence evaluation and documentation
- Greater consistency across cases, which supports fairness, credibility and risk mitigation
What Training Does empowER Offer?
empowER’s exclusive training opportunities focus on two core programs:
1. Workplace Mediation & Conflict Resolution Training for HR and Employee Relations Professionals
This live, virtual training helps HR and employee relations professionals strengthen mediation and conflict resolution skills to address workplace conflict earlier, reduce escalation and improve resolution outcomes.
In employee relations, conflict can escalate quickly when there’s no shared structure for difficult conversations. This program is designed to give ER teams a repeatable mediation approach they can use immediately.
This course is led by an industry expert, Dr.Jeremy Pollack, conflict resolution consultant and CEO of Pollack Peacebuilding Systems. Dr. Pollack’s credentials include:
- Ph.D., Psychology, Grand Canyon University
- Master of Arts (M.A.), Anthropology, California State University Fullerton
- Master of Arts (M.A.), Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, & Peacebuilding, California State University Dominguez Hills
- Associate Certified Coach (ACC), International Coaching Federation
- Certified Organizational Development Coach (CODC™)
- Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist – Individual (CCST-I™)
empowER Mediation Training Attendees Learn:
- How to run a structured mediation conversation from start to finish
- De-escalation techniques that stabilize high-emotion moments
- Listening and reframing skills to move people from blame to problem-solving
- How to document outcomes and agreements clearly
- When mediation is appropriate vs. when to shift to another ER path
empowER Mediation Training Is Ideal For:
- Employee relations professionals
- HR professionals and HRBPs who support employee relations conflict cases
empowER Mediation Training Attendees Said:
According to Jessica Shawn, Wex’s Director, Global Employee Relations and HR Advisors, empowER’s mediation training was immediately usable:
“My team attended Mediation Training with HR Acuity through the empowER community, and it was absolutely fantastic. We put our learnings into action that same week and shared the templates with other team members across the organization, who are now using them to address and resolve conflicts. The training made it so easy to put everything into practice right away. It was exactly what we needed.”
Employee Investigation Training for HR & Employee Relations Professionals
This expert-led, virtual investigations training helps HR and ER teams improve consistency, compliance and confidence in conducting workplace investigations.
Workplace investigations are high-stakes. Small inconsistencies can create outsized risk. This program focuses on strengthening investigation fundamentals so outcomes are fair, defensible and consistent.
This course is offered in partnership with VM Mastered, a division of Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation, a leading law firm in conducting workplace and campus investigations in the United States.
empowER Investigation Training Attendees Learn:
- How to plan and scope investigations
- Interview strategy: sequencing, questioning and documentation
- Evidence evaluation and credibility assessment
- Clear findings and defensible reporting practices
- Consistency across investigators, regions and case types
empowER Investigation Training Is Ideal For:
- ER practitioners
- HR and compliance professionals involved in investigation workflows
- Teams looking to standardize investigation quality across the organization
What to Expect When You Attend an empowER Training
These courses are designed to be practical and immediately usable — not theoretical.
You can expect:
- Live, interactive, multi-part virtual sessions
- Industry expert facilitation grounded in real ER scenarios
- Practical tools and frameworks you can adapt to your organization
- A focus on repeatability and consistency, not one-off tactics
Frequently Asked Questions About empowER Training
What is empowER training?
empowER training includes live, expert-led virtual courses designed for employee relations professionals, with a focus on workplace mediation/conflict resolution and workplace investigations.
Who should attend empowER training?
These trainings are designed for employee relations practitioners and leaders, HR professionals and compliance leaders who manage workplace conflict, investigations and employee relations strategy. The courses are ideal for both early-career employee relations professionals and seasoned ER investigators looking for a refresher.
Is empowER training virtual or in-person?
empowER training is delivered in a live, virtual format, allowing teams to participate from anywhere in an interactive manner. Courses include role play and breakout sessions in addition to other interactive components to apply skills learned.
Do I need to join empowER to attend training?
Yes. Training opportunities are offered through the empowER community, which is free to join. Training seats require paid registration.
What skills will I learn in workplace mediation training?
Participants learn core mediation techniques, conflict de-escalation approaches, structured conversation frameworks and communication tools to help resolve workplace conflict constructively.
What skills will I learn in employee investigation training?
Participants learn investigation planning and scoping, interviewing best practices, evidence evaluation, documentation and report writing for consistent, defensible outcomes.
What are teams saying about empowER training?
Jessica Shawn of Wex said: “My team attended Mediation Training with HR Acuity through the empowER community, and it was absolutely fantastic. We put our learnings into action that same week and shared the templates with other team members across the organization, who are now using them to address and resolve conflicts. The training made it so easy to put everything into practice right away. It was exactly what we needed.”
Build Practical Employee Relations Skills with empowER Training
empowER training is built to help you handle high-stakes workplace issues with more clarity, consistency and confidence. You’ll leave with a repeatable approach, real-world tools and techniques you can put to work immediately — whether you’re navigating conflict, conducting investigations or strengthening your ER strategy.
To stay in the loop with training opportunities, join empowER today — it’s fast, easy and free.