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Working with Approval Requests

When employees submit requests that require approval, the Approval Framework creates approval requests and routes them to the appropriate approvers. This guide explains how approvers interact with these requests and how employees can track their submissions.

How Approval Requests Work​

When an employee submits an absence, uploads a document, or performs another action requiring approval:

  1. Policy Matching - The system finds the appropriate approval policy based on the request details
  2. Request Creation - An approval request is created for each step in the policy
  3. Notification Delivery - Approvers receive notifications across all channels
  4. Deep Linking - Notifications include direct links to the specific approval request
  5. Action & Updates - Approvers review details and approve or reject with optional comments

Notifications for Approvers​

Approvers receive notifications through multiple channels, ensuring they don't miss approval requests.

Email Notifications​

Email notifications include:

  • Clear subject - Identifies the type of request (absence, document, etc.)
  • Requester name - Who submitted the request
  • Direct link - Opens the approval request with one click
  • Key details - Summary of what needs approval

Email Format:

Subject: You have a new approval request from [Employee Name] for [Object Type]

Body:
- Request details
- Link to review and approve
- Submission date/time

Slack Notifications​

If your organization has flair's Slack integration enabled:

  • Notifications appear in your Slack workspace
  • Approve and Reject buttons let you act without leaving Slack
  • Clicking the request details opens the full approval view
  • Status updates are sent after actions are taken

Employee Hub Notifications​

In the Employee Hub:

  • Pending approval requests appear in your notifications
  • Click to view full request details in a side panel
  • Take action directly from the Hub interface
  • See approval history and comments

Mobile App Notifications​

The flair mobile app supports approval notifications:

  • Push notifications alert you to new requests
  • Review request details on your mobile device
  • Approve or reject on the go
  • Full approval history available in the app

Reviewing Approval Requests​

Viewing Request Details​

When you open an approval request, you'll see:

Request Information:

  • Who submitted the request
  • When it was submitted
  • Current approval status
  • Request-specific details (dates, amounts, etc.)

Approval Path Visualization:

  • All approval steps in the workflow
  • Status of each step (Pending, Approved, Rejected, Skipped)
  • Who approved at each step and when
  • Your position in the approval chain

Additional Context:

  • Comments from the requester
  • Supporting documentation
  • Related records or history
  • Overlapping requests (for absences)

Deep Linking​

All approval request links (in emails, Slack, Hub notifications) use deep linking to:

  • Open the specific request immediately
  • Skip navigation steps
  • Show the approval action buttons prominently
  • Display all relevant context in one view

Approval Request Side Panel​

When you click on an approval request, a side panel opens showing:

Action Buttons (if you're an active approver):

  • Approve - Accept the request
  • Reject - Decline the request with optional comment

Information Tabs:

  • Details - Request-specific information
  • Comments - Thread of comments and feedback
  • Approval Path - Visual flow of the approval process

Status Indicators:

  • Current step in the workflow
  • Your role in the approval
  • Actions already taken by others

Taking Action on Requests​

Approving a Request​

To approve a request:

  1. Review the request details carefully
  2. Check the approval path to see if others need to approve
  3. Click the Approve button
  4. The request moves to the next step (or completes if final step)
  5. All parties receive notification of your approval

What happens after approval:

  • If you're the final approver, the request is fully approved
  • If more steps remain, the next approver is notified
  • The requester sees the updated status
  • Approval timestamp is recorded for audit purposes

Rejecting a Request​

To reject a request:

  1. Click the Reject button
  2. Optionally add a comment explaining why
  3. The rejection is recorded in the approval history
  4. The requester is notified with your comment

What happens after rejection:

  • The entire approval workflow stops
  • The request status changes to "Rejected"
  • Other pending approvers are notified (requests are skipped)
  • The requester can see your rejection reason
Adding Comments

Always add a comment when rejecting a request. This helps employees understand what needs to change and reduces back-and-forth communication.

Auto-Approval​

Some requests may be auto-approved based on your organization's configuration:

  • Requests that don't require approval based on policy rules
  • Absence types configured for automatic approval
  • Requests from specific employee segments

Auto-approved requests:

  • Show "Auto-Approved" status in the approval column
  • Still appear in approval history for tracking
  • Can be viewed but don't have action buttons

Viewing Approval Requests​

In the Employee Hub​

For Managers (Approvers):

  1. Navigate to Team in the left sidebar
  2. Select Absences (or relevant section)
  3. View all pending approval requests for your team
  4. Filter by:
    • Pending vs. all requests
    • Request type
    • Date range
    • Employee
    • Approval status

Quick Actions:

  • Click Accept or Reject directly from the list view
  • Click on the request for detailed view
  • See multiple approvers via avatar indicators

For Employees (Requesters):

  1. Go to your personal absence/document section
  2. See all your submitted requests
  3. Check approval status for each
  4. View who has approved and who's pending

In Salesforce​

From the Salesforce app:

  1. Use the App Launcher (🔍) to find Approval Requests
  2. Or navigate through the related object (Absences, Employee Documents)
  3. Click on any pending request to view details
  4. Use the Related tab to see approval request details
  5. Change approval status if you have permissions

Approval Request Record Details:

  • Approver name(s)
  • Status (Pending, Approved, Rejected, Skipped)
  • Action date (when approved/rejected)
  • Comments and feedback
  • Full approval path

People Page Integration​

The People page shows pending approval indicators:

  • Quick view of employees with pending requests
  • Direct links to pending approval requests
  • Filter to find specific approvals quickly

Approval Path Visualization​

The approval path shows the complete journey of an approval request, providing clear visibility into who has approved and who is next in the approval process.

Accessing the Approval Path​

For Managers and Approvers:

When viewing an approval request in the Employee Hub:

  1. Navigate to Approval Requests in the left sidebar
  2. Click on a pending or completed request from the Pending or All tab
  3. The Approval Request Details modal will open
  4. Click on the Approval Path tab to view the complete workflow

The Approval Path tab shows a visual timeline with the heading "What to expect next?" that displays each step in the approval process.

For Employees (Requesters):

When viewing your own requests in the Employee Hub:

  • Requests without approval: The Approval Path is not shown (normal view)
  • Requests requiring approval: The Approval Path component appears, showing the same visual workflow
  • Approved requests: Shows which approvers have completed their review and which steps were skipped

Path Components​

Each Step Shows:

  • Participant information: Approver's name, avatar, and role
  • Status indicator:
    • ✅ Completed - Green checkmark icon with "Added just now" or approval timestamp
    • ⏳ Pending - Orange clock icon with "Review Pending" status
    • ❌ Rejected - Rejected with reason
    • ⏭️ Skipped - Bypassed due to workflow changes or when an earlier approver has already approved

Visual Flow:

  • Steps are shown in order from top to bottom
  • Current step is highlighted
  • Completed steps show completion details with timestamps
  • Future steps show as pending
  • The requester (employee) appears as the first step with "Added just now" status

Real-Time Updates​

When an approver approves or rejects a request, the Approval Path updates immediately without requiring a page refresh. Status changes are reflected in real-time using Apollo cache updates, so you can see:

  • Your approval status change from "Review Pending" to "Approved"
  • Subsequent approvers being skipped if applicable
  • The overall progress of the approval workflow

This provides transparency and helps everyone understand where their request stands in the approval process.

Understanding Status Changes​

Skipped Status: Approval requests can be skipped when:

  • The manager changes and pending approvals transfer to the new manager
  • A rejection earlier in the workflow stops subsequent steps
  • Policy changes after the request was submitted
  • The request is auto-approved based on updated rules
  • An earlier approver has already approved, making subsequent steps unnecessary

Multiple Approvers​

When multiple people can approve at the same step:

Viewing Multiple Approvers​

  • Avatar indicators show multiple approvers
  • Hover over avatars to see each approver's status
  • Action date shows when each person approved

How Multiple Approval Works​

Depending on the policy configuration:

  • Any one approver - First person to approve advances the request
  • All approvers required - All must approve before moving to next step
  • Parallel approval - Multiple approvers review simultaneously

The approval path clearly indicates who has taken action and who is still pending.

Overlapping Requests (Absences)​

For absence requests, approvers see additional context:

Overlapping Absence Widget​

Shows other absences that overlap with the requested dates:

  • Team members who will be absent at the same time
  • Helps identify coverage gaps
  • Supports better approval decisions

Absence-Specific Details​

The approval side panel for absences includes:

  • Remaining absence allowance for the employee
  • Absence type and duration
  • Date range requested
  • Impact on team coverage
  • Historical absence patterns

Comments and Communication​

Adding Comments​

Both requesters and approvers can add comments to approval requests:

  1. Open the approval request
  2. Go to the Comments tab
  3. Type your message
  4. Submit the comment

Use comments to:

  • Ask clarifying questions
  • Explain rejection reasons
  • Provide additional context
  • Document special circumstances
  • Communicate alternative suggestions

Comment Notifications​

When someone adds a comment:

  • Relevant parties receive notifications
  • Comments appear in the approval history
  • Thread maintains chronological order
  • All comments are auditable

Manager Changes During Approval​

When an employee's manager changes while an approval is pending:

Automatic Transfer​

What happens:

  1. Old manager's pending request is marked as Skipped
  2. New approval request is created for the new manager
  3. New manager receives notifications about the transferred request
  4. Approval path shows the transfer clearly

Example Flow:

Initial: Manager A (Pending) → Manager B (Pending)
After change: Manager A (Skipped) → Manager C (Pending) → Manager B (Pending)

Viewing Transfer History​

The approval path visualization shows:

  • Original approver assignment
  • When the manager changed
  • New approver assignment
  • Skipped status for old assignment
  • Clear audit trail of the transfer

This ensures approvals always route to the current manager, even during organizational changes.

Best Practices for Approvers​

Respond Promptly:

  • Check notifications regularly
  • Set up Slack/email alerts for urgent requests
  • Use the mobile app for on-the-go approvals

Review Thoroughly:

  • Check the approval path to understand the workflow
  • Review any comments or additional context
  • Look at overlapping requests (for absences)
  • Consider the impact on team operations

Communicate Clearly:

  • Always add comments when rejecting
  • Ask questions if information is missing
  • Provide constructive feedback
  • Suggest alternatives when appropriate

Stay Organized:

  • Use filters to find specific requests
  • Review pending requests regularly
  • Check approval history for patterns
  • Follow up on unusual requests

Leverage Tools:

  • Use deep links to review requests quickly
  • Take advantage of Slack quick actions
  • Review approval paths to understand context
  • Check related records for additional information

Troubleshooting​

Not receiving notifications?

  • Check your notification settings in the Employee Hub
  • Verify your email address is correct
  • Ensure Slack integration is connected
  • Check spam/junk folders for emails

Can't see approval requests?

  • Verify you're assigned as an approver in the policy
  • Check if you have the right Salesforce permissions
  • Ensure the policy is enabled
  • Confirm the request matches the policy criteria

Action buttons not showing?

  • You may not be the current approver (check approval path)
  • The request may already be approved/rejected
  • You might be viewing a historical request
  • Check if the policy has been changed

Approval transferred unexpectedly?

  • This happens when manager assignments change
  • Check the employee's current manager
  • Review the approval path history
  • Old assignments show as "Skipped"