The HR requests module is your employees’ desk for reaching the HR team. A certificate, a payroll question, a payslip copy, an equipment request: instead of an e-mail lost in a shared mailbox, the employee submits a structured request, follows its progress and talks with the person handling it. This article introduces the module and the life of a request; it is for all users.
Before you start #
- The HR requests module must be enabled for your workspace.
- The HR requests menu only appears to people whose role holds the permission “HR requests module access (employee space)” at the Access level. By default it is granted to the All employees, Manager, HR Manager and Administrator roles.
- The handling and configuration permissions are described in Configuring the HR requests module.
What the module offers #
- A single point of entry. Each request has a type, a suitable form and, where needed, attachments.
- A shared handling queue. The HR team sees the requests addressed to it, takes them in hand and moves them forward until they are resolved.
- One conversation per request. Messages to the employee and the team’s internal notes stay attached to the request.
- Announced deadlines. Each request type can announce a first-response deadline and a resolution deadline; a reminder and then an escalation are sent automatically when they are missed.
- Optional approval. A request can be submitted for approval, for example by the line manager, through a workflow in Workflows.
- A complete trail. Notifications, e-mails, user logs, export and erasure of personal data, backups: the module follows the same rules as the rest of Illizeo.
Who does what #
| Profile | What they do in the module |
|---|---|
| Employee | Submits requests, answers HR’s questions, adds documents, follows the status of their requests. |
| Manager | Same as any employee; can also approve requests when an approval workflow is active. |
| HR team | Works the queue: takes requests, replies, changes the status, resolves or closes them. |
| Administrator | Configures the desk: request types, forms, destinations, deadlines, approval workflow, e-mails, permissions. |
The desk does not duplicate an existing process #
Anything that already has its own screen in Illizeo does not go through HR requests: an absence, an expense report, a training course or a change of bank details, for example. Those processes have their own rules and approvals; the desk is for everything else. That is why the supplied catalogue contains no “Leave” or “Bank details” type.
The life of a request #
- Submission. The employee chooses a request type, fills in the form, optionally attaches files and clicks Submit. The request gets the “New” status and the receiving team is notified.
- Approval (optional). If an approval workflow is active for this type or this employee, the designated approver approves or rejects the request. A rejected request becomes “Closed”.
- Taking the request. A member of the HR team clicks Take: the request moves to “In progress” and the employee is notified.
- Conversation. HR and the employee write to each other in the request’s conversation. If HR is waiting for information, they set the request to “Waiting for your reply”; as soon as the employee answers, it goes back to “In progress”.
- Closing. HR sets the request to “Resolved” or, if it no longer applies, to “Closed”. The employee is notified.
Request statuses #
Each request carries a handling status, visible to the employee and to the HR team alike.
| Status | Meaning | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| New | The request has just been submitted; nobody has taken it yet. | Automatically on submission |
| In progress | A member of the HR team is handling the request. | HR, by clicking “Take” or choosing this status; automatically when the employee replies to a request waiting for them |
| Waiting for your reply | HR is waiting for information or a document from the employee. | HR |
| Resolved | The request has been dealt with. | HR |
| Closed | The request no longer applies, or was rejected by the approval workflow. | HR or the approval workflow |
The first three statuses count as open: they are what the In progress filter keeps on the My requests page.
Good to know #
- An employee only ever sees their own requests. Even a member of the HR team only sees, under My requests, the requests they submitted themselves.
- The handling status and the approval are two separate things: while approval is pending, the request stays “New”.
- A resolved or closed request no longer accepts messages or attachments. For a new need, the employee submits a new request; the HR team can also set the request back to an open status.
- A submitted request cannot be deleted from the application: it stays in the desk’s history.
