Employee Requests in Calamari — How to Organize Employee Submissions
Employee requests in Calamari help organizations collect, structure, and manage internal employee submissions in one place.
Not every employee-related matter needs to start with an email, a message in an internal communicator, or the question: “Who should I send this to?”
The Employee Requests feature in Calamari allows administrators to create custom request forms for employees. This helps organize processes that were previously handled across multiple places, such as emails, chat messages, spreadsheets, documents, or external forms.
Employee Requests are available in the Core HR module in Calamari. They can support different HR, administrative, benefit-related, finance, IT, or operational processes.
What Are Employee Requests Used For?
Employee Requests help collect employee submissions in one place and give them a simple structure.
They can be used, for example, to handle:
Equipment requests (laptop, monitor, mouse, keyboard),
Requests for access to tools or systems,
Workstation setup requests,
Eyewear subsidy requests,
Training or conference reimbursements,
Personal data change notifications,
Bank account number updates,
Expense reimbursements,
Document or certificate requests,
Administrative requests (parking spot, office access, company shipping),
Salary transfer instructions,
Other employee processes that require a form and handling by a specific person.
💡 Example:
Instead of writing "I need a new monitor," an employee picks the Equipment Request form from the catalog, answers a few questions, and submits the request. The person responsible immediately sees what equipment is needed, why, whether specific specs are required, and whether an attachment was added.
How Does Submitting an Employee Request Work?
Employees access the catalog of available forms under Core HR → Requests. The catalog shows the forms made available to them based on the configuration.
Requests can be organized into categories, for example:
Benefits & Allowances
HR & Payroll Changes
IT & Access
Finance & Administration
Business Travel & Trips
After selecting the appropriate form, the employee fills it in. The form can include questions, text fields, selection options, instructions, and attachments.
Once submitted, the request goes to the person designated in the configuration as responsible for handling that type of request.
What Does the Employee See After Submitting?
After submitting, the employee can review their submissions in the list of filed requests.
The list shows the key information:
Request name
Status
Date submitted
Date resolved
This lets employees return to previous requests and see what was sent and the stage the matter is at.
Opening a request's details shows the form responses, status, and any attached files.
How Is an Employee Request Handled?
The person responsible for the request receives it with all the information provided by the employee (notifications can be sent via email, mobile app, Slack, or Teams).
This means they don't need to search through multiple messages or ask for basic information - everything filled in on the form is right there in the request details.
Requests can have statuses to help track the processing stage, for example:
New
Completed
The status lets the employee see what is happening with their request, and helps the handler manage their queue.
Configuring Employee Requests
Configuration is done under Configuration → Requests.
The administrator first sets up basic information about the request type, then moves on to configuring the form — the fields the employee will fill out when submitting a request.
The configuration is split into two logical steps:
What is this request and who can submit it?
What information should the employee provide in the form?
Step 1. Configure the Basic Request Information
In the first tab, the administrator defines the key settings for the request type:
Request name — should be short and clear to the employee.
💡 Good examples: Equipment Request, Eyewear Subsidy, Training Reimbursement, Personal Data Change, Travel Expense Reimbursement.
Avoid vague names that don't explain what the form is for, e.g., "Administrative Request 1."
Short description — helps the employee confirm they've chosen the right form.
💡 Example: "Use this request if you need additional work equipment, e.g. a monitor, mouse, keyboard, or camera."
Additional instructions — useful when the process has specific rules, required documents, or restrictions.
💡 Example: "Please attach an invoice or proof of purchase. Without this document, the request may not be processed."
Category — determines where the request appears in the catalog. Well-chosen categories help employees find the right form faster.
Availability — the administrator can define who can submit a given request. The form can be available to the entire organization or only to selected employee groups.
💡 Examples: a local benefit request only for employees in a specific country; a parking spot request only for staff at a particular office; a specialized tool request only for a certain team.
Assignee — the person who will receive the request after it's submitted.
💡 Examples: an equipment request goes to IT; a benefits request goes to HR; expense reimbursement goes to Finance; administrative matters go to the office manager.
Step 2. Configure the Request Form
In the second tab, the administrator builds the form the employee will fill out when submitting a request. This is where questions, text fields, selection options, and attachment fields are added.
Example form for an equipment request:
What equipment are you requesting?
Field type: single choice | Options: laptop, monitor, mouse, keyboard, cameraWhat work will you use this equipment for?
Field type: long answerDo you have any requirements regarding specs or model?
Field type: long answerAdd an attachment if you have a preferred specification
Field type: attachment
A well-designed form should be simple for the employee and complete for the person handling the request. If the handler frequently needs to follow up with the same questions, those questions should be added as separate fields in the form.
Best Practices for Creating Forms
The best forms are short, specific, and guide the employee through the process.
A few principles to keep in mind:
Use names employees will understand immediately
Add a description if similar-looking requests might be confused with each other
Don't ask questions that aren't needed to process the request
Use selection fields when answers should be standardized
Use open questions when the employee should describe context
Add an attachment field if a document is required to handle the matter
Restrict availability if the request applies only to certain people
Assign someone who actually owns that process
A good approach is to start with one or two of the most frequently recurring processes. The catalog can be expanded with more request types over time.
Example: Training Reimbursement Request
Suppose a company wants to streamline its training reimbursement process. The configuration might look like this:
Category: Benefits & Allowances
Request name: Training Reimbursement
Description: "Use this form if you'd like to submit a training for reimbursement in accordance with the organization's policy."
Assignee: the person responsible for employee development or HR
Form fields:
Training name
Organizer
Training date
Cost
Currency
Link to the training program
Whether the training was pre-approved
Attachment with invoice or proof of participation
This way, the handler immediately receives all the data needed to take further action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where in Calamari is the Employee Requests feature?
Where in Calamari is the Employee Requests feature?
Employee Requests are available in the Core HR. It's a natural home for this feature, as employee submissions typically relate to data, documents, benefits, equipment, access, or other day-to-day employee matters. This lets the organization manage not just employee information, but also simple request processes — all within a single module.
Is it worth implementing Employee Requests if the company currently handles submissions by email?
Is it worth implementing Employee Requests if the company currently handles submissions by email?
Yes, especially if submissions repeat, go to different people, or often lack basic information.
Example: If an employee writes "I need access to a tool," the handler usually has to follow up: which tool, from when, what access level is needed, and who approved the request. With a form, all those questions appear upfront.
Can Employee Requests help with onboarding?
Can Employee Requests help with onboarding?
Yes. Onboarding involves many recurring matters: equipment, tool access, documents, workspace setup, benefits, employee data, and role-specific needs. Selected processes can be handled through employee requests — especially when specific information needs to be collected from the employee or their manager. This way the new person doesn't have to figure out where to report each matter, and the onboarding team receives the data in a more organized way.
Are Employee Requests the same as absence requests?
Are Employee Requests the same as absence requests?
No. Employee Requests and absence requests are two separate areas in Calamari.
Absence requests are for reporting holidays, sick leave, remote work, and other types of absences. Employee Requests cover other organizational, HR, administrative, financial, benefits, or IT matters.
Absence request examples: annual leave, sick leave.
Employee request examples: equipment request, training reimbursement, personal data change.
Summary
Employee Requests in Calamari replace scattered emails, messages, and spreadsheets with a structured, trackable process. Employees get a clear form. Handlers get complete information. Every submission has a status, a history, and a designated owner.
It's a practical starting point for teams that want to bring order to recurring employee processes — without building complex systems from scratch.
The feature is available in the Core HR module. If your organization already uses it, you can start setting up your first request types today.
Turn Repetitive Submissions Into a Simple, Trackable Process
Recurring employee requests don't need to get lost in inboxes or chat threads. With Employee Requests, each submission has a form, attachments, a status, and a clear owner.
Book a demo or contact us to see how Calamari can help you organize everyday employee requests.