Approve a Time Off request

Taking time off from work is an integral part of having well-rounded, healthy, and productive employees. Self-care and wellbeing have become incredibly important for navigating today's world, and we all need a break sometimes!

That said, your business still needs to function while employees are away and managing "Time Off" requests is a big part of that. 

If you received a "Time Off" request but you're unsure what to do next – you're in the right place! This article will explain how to approve a "Time Off" request if you're a manager or an admin.

In most cases, managers are set up as the "Time Off" approvers for their direct reports in the approval flow; however, admins have the authority to approve or deny "Time Off" requests from any employee within the company and have access to a few extra functionalities.   

There are a few places where you'll see "Time Off" requests:

• Managers and Admins – In your Humi inbox on your dashboard
• Managers and Admins – Notification email in your inbox from "helper@humi.ca"
• Managers – In "Time Off" under "My Teams"
• Admins – In "Time Off" under "Requests"

Managers and Admins – Manage requests from your Humi dashboard

When there's a new "Time Off" request made, you'll get a notification in your Humi inbox on your dashboard that looks like this: 

You can approve or deny the "Time Off" request by clicking directly on the alert in your inbox.

You'll then be directed to the "View Request" page, where you can check if there are any other overlapping requests from other team members and make your approval decision.

On the right side, under the "Approval Flow" section, select the "Approve" or "Deny" button.

Managers and Admins: Manage requests from the notification email

When there's a new "Time Off" request, you'll also receive a notification email from "helper@humi.ca" that looks like this:

When you click the "View Request" button, your internet browser will open to this page: 

From here, you can click the "Approve" or "Deny" button to respond.

Manager – Approve "Time Off" requests

If you're a manager responsible for approving the "Time Off" requests for your direct reports, you can see your team's "Time Off" requests in the "Time Off" module under the "My Team" tab.

From here, you can filter the requests by "pending" status to see all requests that have not yet been approved. By default, the most recent requests will always show at the top of the list. 

Learn more about sorting and filtering your "Time Off" request table here. 

How to approve a "Time Off" request:

1. In "Time Off" under the "My Team" tab, click on the "Pending" request.
2. You'll be directed to the "View Request" page, where you can view the employee's "Time Off" request details and check any overlapping requests in your department.
3. When you're ready to make your decision, select the "Approve" or "Deny" button under the "Approval Flow" section. 

Admins – Manage "Time Off" requests 

If you're an admin, you'll be able to see all "Time Off" requests for the entire company in "Time Off" under the "Requests" tab.

Admins have access to more functionality than managers, so there are a few ways you can approve or deny a "Time Off" request:

• Directly from the "Requests" table
• From the "View Request" page
• Force Approve or Deny the request

Approve from the "Requests" table

From the "Requests" table, find the employee's "pending" request and click on the three dots on the right side. Next, select "Approve" or "Deny" from the dropdown menu. 

If you want to approve the requested dates partially, you can edit the "Time Off" dates. First, click "Edit," then choose the dates you wish to approve and select the "Approve" button. 

Approve from the "View Request" page:

1. In "Time Off" under the "Requests" tab, click on the "pending" request.
2. You'll be directed to the "View Request" page. From here, you can view the request details and check if there are any overlapping requests in your department.
3. On the right side, under the "Approval Flow" section, select "Approve" or "Deny."

Force approve the "Time Off" request

Sometimes approval flows include multiple people who need to approve the "Time Off" request before it's finalized. However, as an admin, you're able to force approve or deny any "Time Off" requests and bypass these additional approvals.

You might need to use this option if a "Time Off" request is made while an approver is on vacation or if any outdated requests are sitting in the system. 

How to force approve a "Time Off" request:

1. In "Time Off" under the "Requests" tab, click on the "pending" request.
2. You'll be directed to the "View Request" page. From here, click on the three dots in the top right corner and select "Force Approve" from the dropdown options.
3. You will get a warning pop-up as shown below:
   
4. If you are sure that you would like to "Force Approve" the request, click the "Force Approve" button. 

Under the "Approval Flow" section will show that the request was "Forced Approved" and display the approver.

You're now an expert in approving "Time Off" requests! Don't forget to submit some of your own "Time Off" requests and take some well-deserved time off – you've earned it.