How do UA employees get help with HR matters?
HR Coordinators and Online Self-Service:
Many departments have HR Coordinators (AKA PPAs, or Cost Center Clerks). These are key people in departments who have a great deal of knowledge and resources available to answer HR-related questions, solve problems, and complete routine actions. We encourage employees to first seek help from their local HR Coordinators as they will have the information most applicable to their areas.
Online self-service is another fast and easy route for routine transactional matters and basic questions. Employees and HR Coordinators have an extensive menu of online tools and applications for self-service at their disposal on the HR Website. There are forms and instructions for dozens of common service needs that can be filled out and submitted electronically. UA Spoke is also a self-service option. UA Spoke uses an extensive database of information to answer immediate questions in real time. When requests are submitted through UA Spoke, employees will receive an email confirmation of receipt and status updates through completion. Spoke is also a means of getting questions and requests that can’t be resolved with automation to the right people that can help.
HR Generalist Support:
If HR Coordinators and self-service options are unavailable or unable to satisfy inquiries or provide basic services, the next option for support comes from HR Generalists. HR Generalists are the front lines of support. They work at the HR centers on each main university campus. Each department has a generalist assigned to them. HR Generalists provide services, answer questions, and solve common problems across all HR functional areas. In most cases, they will own a person’s or department’s issue from start to finish. They can be accessed through departmental HR Coordinators, via Spoke, by email, phone (907-450-8200), or by walk-in.
Functional Experts:
Functional expert teams in HR are available when employees or groups have issues that require in-depth expertise. Functional teams include HR operations, labor and employee engagement, talent acquisition, and employee transitions and benefits. While HR Generalists own the issues of their supported employees or groups to completion, they will typically consult with functional experts and work as a team to resolve issues. Some situations will be so unique and specific that they will call for employees to connect and work directly with functional experts. They are certainly available to do so. Generalists can facilitate that connection or functional experts can be contacted directly.
HR Business Partners and Functional Directors:
Each university is supported by a human resources business partner. They serve as a liaison between campus leadership and the HR team. They help the universities with policy development and clarification, human resource planning, and other consultation. They are also there for individual faculty and staff members if they need help accessing support. They are well-versed in HR processes and work closely with all experts within HR.
The directors for each of the four functional areas are the authorities and subject matter experts that guide our operations and policies in their respective areas and lead the functional teams. They work with other directors, business partners, internal departments and external agencies to find solutions to our complex issues.
HR Business Partners and Functional Directors are available to anyone who needs them, but are especially available for Administrators, Deans and Directors at each of the universities and at the statewide offices.