Desk audit is a form of interviewing with the employees and checking their records and performance to know they’re following the rules and regulations the right way.
The main purpose of these audits is to evaluate the abilities of employees. Although the process is usually honest and impartial, it’s still advisable to conduct each employee’s interview separately.
Table of Content
- Desk Audit Definition
- Benefits of Desk Audit
- Desk Audit Process
- Desk Audit Example
- What is a Desk Review Audit
- How Do You Ask for a Desk Audit
- Steps and Considerations for Conducting a Desk Audit
Benefits of a Desk Audit
There are certain benefits of a desk audit:
- The audit verifies the information in the form of documentation.
- You get to see how each of the employees is performing.
- It gives you a way to connect with your employees on a personal level and create an understanding of the type of work they do and how they do it.
Desk Audit Process
The process includes two major steps: Preparation and Conducting the audit.
During the preparation part, take the following pointers into consideration.
- The first thing to keep in mind is to determine what’s been written in the job description of that particular employee.
- Plus, make sure that you have your questions prepared beforehand.
- Get the position description of the employee you’re going to audit signed by their supervisor.
- Make a point of what duties of the employee are questionable and which of them are not.
- Determine the jargon and get them cleared.
- Prepare the questions you’re going to ask them.
During the audit:
- If the employee wants some other employee—let’s say their supervisor or manager—to be present with them during the audit, you’ll have to allow that. Yet, make sure that the person standing there is just for observing everything, the employee you’re asking questions should have the answers to what you’re asking—meaning they should know their responsibilities.
- Ask simple and clear questions; in most cases, it should be a yes or no question.
- And make sure the employee knows that you’re going to be in touch with her or him.
- When you’re done with the audit, let the employee ask questions and add more information if they want to.
- Inform the employee that if you have other questions or need something to clarify, you’ll be in touch with them.
Besides that, here are some of the things you would want to avoid during the audit:
- Frame your questions the right way, avoid adding modifiers to your question that directly point the finger at the employee. While you may be wanting to clarify things a bit more, the employee may feel like you’re judging them.
- Consult the classification article in the applicable CBA for the employees that you’re going to represent.
- Make sure you don’t give the employee represented any statement related to the allocation. If they do ask you anything related to it, mention that you can only determine that once you have the time to review all the information.
Desk Audit Example
An example of desk audit would be a person in authority visiting the desk of an employee and conducting their desk audit.
What is a Desk Review Audit
Desk review audit and desk audit are the same things. These words are used interchangeably for the same process, where an employee is audited to check their performance and make sure that they know their responsibilities and carry them out the right way.
How Do You Ask for a Desk Audit
You can ask for a desk audit through a local agency and the office and the Office of Personnel Managment aka OPM.
Even though the process seems simple to conduct, you may still face many challenges for getting it done finally.
Steps and Considerations for Conducting a Desk Audit
As we already discussed in detail, to conduct a desk audit, you’ll first have to prepare for it, then conduct it, and then there are certain things that you should avoid.
But if we go in the step-by-step process, then here are some of the steps that you can follow:
- Prepare for the audit by getting your hands on the right details such as position description.
- Make the employee know in advance that you’re going to be there.
- Prepare the questions beforehand.
- If the employee wishes to have their supervisors available with them during the audit, give them the permit to do that. However, make sure that only the employee gives the answers and the other person just be there to observe and do nothing else.
- Ask simple and clear questions. Most of these questions should be answerable with a yes and no.
- Avoid giving them any statement related to the allocation on the stop. Convey that you’ll first need to review the information before you can do so upon their asking.
- Let them know that you may contact them again if you need any other related information.