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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Employee Support Representative

💰 $40,000 - $65,000

Human ResourcesEmployee SupportHR Operations

🎯 Role Definition

An Employee Support Representative is the primary point of contact for employees seeking help with HR-related questions, benefits, payroll, policies, and systems. This role delivers fast, accurate, and empathetic support across channels (email, phone, chat, ticketing system), ensures compliance with company policies and employment law, and drives a positive employee experience from onboarding through offboarding. The ideal candidate balances technical fluency in HRIS and ticketing tools with strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills, consistently meeting SLAs and contributing to HR process improvements.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • HR Coordinator / HR Assistant
  • Customer Service Representative (with HR exposure)
  • Benefits Administrator / Payroll Clerk

Advancement To:

  • Senior Employee Support Representative
  • HR Business Partner
  • HR Operations Specialist
  • Benefits & Leave Specialist

Lateral Moves:

  • Payroll Specialist
  • Talent Acquisition Coordinator
  • Learning & Development Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Serve as the frontline responder for employee inquiries, resolving questions related to payroll, benefits enrollment, time off, leaves of absence, policies, and HR systems with accuracy and empathy.
  • Manage a high-volume caseload (e.g., 30–60 cases per week) in the ticketing system, triaging, prioritizing, and escalating issues according to SLAs while maintaining detailed case notes and audit trails.
  • Conduct end-to-end onboarding support: create HRIS records, verify documentation, enroll new hires in benefits, schedule orientation steps, and ensure a seamless first-day experience for each employee.
  • Administer offboarding and termination processes, coordinate final pay and benefits continuation, revoke access, and ensure compliance with checklists and legal requirements.
  • Guide employees through benefits options, eligibility rules, carrier portals, claims procedures, and open enrollment, clarifying differences between plans and providing step-by-step enrollment assistance.
  • Troubleshoot HRIS, payroll, and benefits platform issues, collaborate with IT and vendors for technical resolutions, and document recurring problems and fixes for knowledge base updates.
  • Process payroll-related adjustments, timecard corrections, retroactive pay, and deductions in coordination with payroll teams to ensure timely and accurate pay.
  • Maintain confidentiality and discretion when handling sensitive employee data, personal information and investigative details in accordance with privacy policies and legal obligations.
  • Escalate employee relations issues and complex cases to HR Business Partners or legal counsel with clear summaries, supporting documentation, timelines, and recommended next steps.
  • Track and report on core HR metrics and KPIs (e.g., first contact resolution, average response time under 24 hours, CSAT ≥ 90%, SLA compliance), using dashboards to drive continuous improvement.
  • Participate in and sometimes lead return-to-work, accommodation, and leave-of-absence case management processes, coordinating with managers, medical providers, and benefits vendors.
  • Facilitate communication between employees, managers, and HR teams during policy changes, open enrollment, and benefits transitions to minimize confusion and ensure timely action.
  • Create, maintain, and continuously improve employee support knowledge base articles, FAQs, process guides, and step-by-step playbooks to reduce repeat inquiries.
  • Conduct targeted outreach to employees for action items (documentation, benefits elections, required training) and follow up to ensure completion within defined timelines.
  • Provide training and coaching to managers on HR systems, self-service tools, and standard HR processes to enable decentralized problem resolution and better manager-employee interactions.
  • Lead or contribute to HR process improvement initiatives (automation, workflows, form simplification) to reduce manual steps and improve employee experience and operational efficiency.
  • Reconcile benefits enrollments and payroll deductions between HRIS and payroll systems, identifying and correcting discrepancies proactively before pay runs.
  • Support compliance and audit activities by compiling employee files, access logs, benefits documentation, and case histories in organized, auditable formats.
  • Coordinate with external vendors and carriers for benefits, EAP, wellness programs, and disability vendors to resolve escalations and ensure accurate services to employees.
  • Handle sensitive investigations (confidential complaints, policy breaches) by collecting factual data, documenting interactions, and ensuring appropriate confidentiality and chain-of-custody for information.
  • Implement feedback loops from employee surveys and case patterns to HR leadership with concrete recommendations to improve policies, communications, and service levels.
  • Serve as an ambassador for company culture and values by modeling respectful, solution-focused communication and helping employees navigate complex interpersonal or policy-driven challenges.

Secondary Functions

  • Build and maintain internal reporting and analytics to identify trends, recurring issues, and opportunities for automation or policy refinement.
  • Assist HR leadership with special projects such as systems implementation (HRIS upgrades), benefits vendor selection, and employee communications campaigns.
  • Participate in cross-functional working groups (Payroll, IT, Legal, Finance) to align HR operational processes and ensure seamless upstream/downstream integrations.
  • Provide subject-matter expertise during audits and compliance reviews, preparing supporting documentation and process maps.
  • Support ad-hoc employee communications (policy updates, emergency notifications) to ensure clarity and accessibility across the organization.
  • Mentor junior HR support staff and provide ongoing coaching to improve technical proficiency and customer service skills.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Proficiency with HRIS platforms (Workday, ADP, BambooHR, Oracle HCM, UKG) — data entry, reporting, and record management.
  • Experience with ticketing and case management tools (Zendesk, ServiceNow, Freshdesk) including SLA routing and macros.
  • Strong payroll fundamentals and familiarity with payroll systems, deductions, tax forms, and payroll timelines.
  • Benefits administration knowledge: medical, dental, vision, 401(k), FSA/HSA, disability, COBRA and leave administration workflows.
  • Ability to create and maintain standard operating procedures, process flows, and knowledge base articles.
  • Competence with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace; advanced Excel skills (VLOOKUP, pivot tables) for reconciliation and reporting.
  • Basic data analysis and reporting skills; experience with HR dashboard tools or BI basics (Power BI, Looker Studio) a plus.
  • Familiarity with employment law basics (FMLA, ADA, local labor statutes) and confidentiality/compliance best practices.
  • Strong documentation skills and experience preparing materials for audits and HR compliance reviews.
  • Experience supporting multi-channel employee communication (email templates, chat, phone scripts) and self-service portals.
  • Vendor management basics — coordinating escalations and managing service-level expectations with carriers and third parties.
  • Experience with secure handling of PII and HR data privacy procedures; understanding of encryption, access control, and role-based permissions.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional verbal and written communication with an ability to simplify complex HR topics for diverse audiences.
  • High emotional intelligence and empathy to handle sensitive conversations and de-escalate tense situations.
  • Strong problem-solving mindset with attention to detail and an ability to take ownership from first contact to resolution.
  • Customer-service orientation: patient, responsive, proactive, and committed to delivering a positive employee experience.
  • Time management and prioritization skills to manage high-volume, time-sensitive casework and competing deadlines.
  • Collaboration and stakeholder management: able to work cross-functionally with HRBPs, payroll, IT, and managers.
  • Adaptability and comfort with change, new tools, and evolving HR policies in a fast-paced environment.
  • Integrity and discretion; strict adherence to confidentiality and ethical standards.
  • Analytical mindset with the ability to identify patterns, root causes, and recommend process improvements.
  • Coaching and training ability to upskill managers and peers on HR systems and self-service processes.
  • Resilience and stress tolerance while maintaining professionalism and service quality under pressure.
  • Curiosity and continuous improvement orientation — actively seeks feedback and refines processes.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Associate degree or equivalent work experience in HR, business administration, or related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, or related discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Human Resources Management
  • Business Administration
  • Organizational Psychology
  • Industrial-Organizational Studies

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 1–4 years of experience in HR support, employee services, benefits administration, payroll, or customer service roles in HR environments.

Preferred:

  • 2–5 years supporting HR operations with hands-on HRIS, payroll, and benefits administration experience; exposure to employment law and employee relations preferred.
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