HR Admin
Set up multi-step approval chains
Build the approval chain that leave requests and hourly permissions follow, decide who approves each step, and set an auto-approve window for steps nobody answers.
4 min readLast updated
In this article
A workflow template is the route a request travels before it is approved: for example, the direct manager first, then HR. Each request type has at most one active template. While it is active, every new request of that type follows its steps in order, and each approver decides from their approval inbox.
Before you start
Approval chains run for leave requests and hourly permissions. You can also save a template for loans or expenses, but those requests are approved through their own steps on the Loans & Advances and Expense Claims screens.
For the "Direct manager" approver to work, set each employee's manager, or at least a manager on their department.
Create a template
Open People › HR Admin › Workflow Engine Admin.
Select New template.
Enter the Name and the Name (Arabic), choose the Request type, and add a Description if you want.
Under Approval steps, select Add step for each level of approval.
For each step, enter the Step name and Step name (Arabic), and choose the Approver (see the table below).
If you chose a specific user, pick them under Specific user. If you chose a permission, enter the permission under Permission slug.
Optionally enter Auto-approve after (hours). Leave it empty for steps that must always wait for a person.
Arrange the order with Move earlier and Move later. Switch to Diagram to see the chain from left to right, or back to List.
Select Save. The template must have at least one step.
Who approves each step
Approver | Who the system assigns |
|---|---|
Direct manager | The manager on the employee's record. If there is none, the manager of the employee's department, then of each parent department in turn. Never the employee themselves. |
HR manager | An active user whose user group may view employee records. |
General manager | An active user whose user group has access to the People module. |
Specific user | The user you selected. |
Anyone with permission | Nobody in particular. Any user holding the permission can approve, from the leave or hourly-permission screen. |
For "HR manager" and "General manager", the system picks one user. When several users qualify, it takes the user in the lowest-numbered user group. Use "Specific user" when you need a named person.
How the chain behaves
One active template per type. Saving a new template, or activating one, switches off the template that was active for that request type.
Steps run one at a time. Each approver is notified when their step opens. Rejecting at any step rejects the request.
Unresolvable steps are skipped. If no approver can be found for a step, the system skips it. If every step is skipped, the request is approved straight away.
Auto-approval. Every hour the system approves steps that have waited longer than their auto-approve window. If the final approval cannot complete, for example because the leave balance is no longer enough, the step stays pending with a note explaining why.
No active template. Requests of that type are approved in a single step from their own screen.
Manage templates
Use the row menu to Edit, activate or deactivate, view the Diagram, or Delete a template.
A template with requests still pending cannot be deleted. Deactivate it instead, and delete it once those requests are decided.
Common questions
Why does nothing appear in the managers' inboxes? Check that the template for that request type is active, that its steps are not all unresolvable, and that the employees have a manager.