HR help desk
What is an HR help desk?
An HR help desk is a centralized platform that enables employees to submit questions and requests, as well as report HR-related issues regarding leave, attendance, medical claims, and more. Streamlining the entire process enables HR teams to collect, organize, and resolve employee queries efficiently.
What are the benefits of having an HR help desk?
An HR help desk provides several advantages, including:
- Improves efficiency by better organizing employee queries and reducing repetitive queries
- Supports faster resolution time with streamlined processes and workflows
- Acts as a structured communication channel between employees and the HR team
- Enhances employee experience by offering accessible, consistent, and empathetic support to employees
- Serves as an information hub providing key information related to employee pay, leave, attendance, onboarding, and more
What are the different kinds of inquiries submitted to HR help desks?
HR help desk topics include:
Onboarding and offboarding:
Joining formalities, paperwork, onboarding training, the resignation process, exit interviews, and full and final settlements
Leave management:
Leave balances, leave approvals, the holiday list, regularization, and accruals
Attendance management:
Inquiries related to attendance marking and missed punches
Benefits management:
Health insurance (e.g., mediclaim), retirement plans, savings plans, and other perks
Policies and procedures:
Company policies, code of conduct, and labor laws
Training management:
Training schedules, course materials, and certifications
What are some use cases for an HR help desk?
Employee A submits a ticket to inquire how to add their newborn as a dependent to their company-sponsored mediclaim policy and if vaccinations are covered by their health insurance. The DRI responsible for employee health insurance quickly responds with the coverage details, a list of required documents to add their newborn as a dependent, and a handbook that provides details about their company’s insurance policy.
Meanwhile, Employee B submits a ticket to inquire if their unused casual and sick leave days can be combined with their upcoming maternity leave. The DRI for employee leave shares a section from the company handbook that explains the scenarios in which different leave types can be combined.
In both scenarios, having an HR help desk lets the HR team offer timely support to employees in a consistent, policy-aligned manner.
Is it possible to automate and simplify the HR help desk?
Yes, most HR software systems today come with an HR help desk module that helps HR teams automatically collect, organize, and respond to a large volume of requests from employees. HR teams can add an FAQ, accept employee requests, create categories, assign admins, and even receive feedback.
Is an IT desk the same as an HR help desk?
No, IT and HR help desks are not the same. While both help desks are used to manage requests from employees, the IT help desk receives queries related to hardware, software, and other workplace gadgets, while the HR help desk receives queries related to HR tasks, including leave, attendance, and onboarding.