Creating auto-approval rules for time off

Requests approved without anybody looking, when the conditions are safe. Removes the delay that annoys people most.

Requests approved without anybody looking, when the conditions are safe. Removes the delay that annoys people most.

Create one

1. Open the time off settings.
2. Create an auto-approval rule.
3. Set the conditions: how far ahead, how many people already off, which reasons.
4. Apply it to the right teams.
5. Watch what it approves for a month.

Conditions worth using

• Enough notice, such as more than four weeks ahead.
• Coverage intact, fewer than a set number already off.
• Short absences, a day or two rather than a fortnight.
• Specific reasons, where approval is a formality.

Why it is worth doing

Most requests are routine and get approved anyway. Automating those means people get an answer immediately, and leads spend their attention on the ones that actually need a decision.

Start conservative

Tight conditions first, then loosen once you have seen what it approves. An over-broad rule that empties a week is visible only when that week arrives.

Watch it for a month

Read what it approved and ask whether you would have. That check tells you whether the conditions match your actual judgement.

Keep the manual path clear

Requests falling outside the rule still need a person, promptly. An auto-approval rule that leaves the remainder waiting longer has moved the problem rather than solved it.

Say what the rules are

Tell the team which requests are approved automatically. Then people request early to get an immediate answer, which is better for everybody.

See also

• Viewing and handling time off requests
• Creating time off reasons
• The time off management page