UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State employees now have an additional option for getting in touch with Human Resources (HR) via a new live agent chat feature within WorkLion. The chat feature connects employees directly to an HR associate to assist with any employment-related questions. 

“We want to be as responsive as possible and provide options to talk to Human Resources that are most convenient for all our employees,” said Jennifer Wilkes, vice president for Human Resources and chief human resources officer. “Employees can still contact us using the online portal or calling on the phone; in addition, HR associates will be available by chat to answer questions and provide assistance whenever it’s most convenient. We piloted the chat feature earlier this year with over 4,000 employees across several units and received overwhelmingly positive feedback from those who used the chat.” 

Penn State employees now have three easy ways to get in touch with HR Services to submit inquiries:

• Submit an online inquiry in WorkLion.
• Call HR Services at 814-865-1473.
• Use the live chat feature in WorkLion.

The new chat feature, available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, connects employees directly to an HR Services associate, who can assist them with questions related to benefits, payroll, work arrangements and other employment-related inquiries. The live chat feature is accessed via a button labeled "Start a Live Chat?" at the bottom left-hand corner of the WorkLion homepage.

Employees utilizing the chat can start a new ticket or follow up on an existing ticket, regardless of whether the ticket was started through chat, email or phone call. Chat dialogues will automatically be retained in a WorkLion inquiry that employees can reference at any time for updates on their inquiry.  As with all employee inquiries, user privacy is of utmost importance. HR keeps all chat records with employees confidential and retains them only to provide the best service experience possible. 

In addition, Wilkes announced that Human Resources has updated its phone system so callers will be directly connected with an HR Services associate, rather than selecting through a series of prompts. 

“Our employees’ time is valuable, and this update to our phone system will let callers immediately reach an associate who can help. This will allow our HR Services team to provide faster and more personalized information to Penn State employees,” Wilkes said. 

For instructions on how to use the new WorkLion live agent chat feature, visit the WorkLion Knowledge Base.