The approval flow

The approval flow decides who reviews each manager's proposals before they can be applied.

Who can do this: Administrators.

Where: a merit cycle → Settings → Approval Flow.

Set up approvals

1. Under Levels of approval, add the levels you need: Direct manager, Skip-level manager or Third-level manager.

2. Optionally select Add final approver, for example a head of HR.

3. Choose the options:

   • Auto-approve if no manager

   • Allow higher managers to approve on behalf

   • Notify on submission

How approval works

• When a manager submits, each proposal goes through the levels in order.

• A proposal can be approved, sent back with Request Changes, or declined.

• Request Changes sends the proposal back to draft with a note, so the manager can change it and submit it again.

• If you set no levels, submitted proposals are approved automatically.

Rules that always apply

• Nobody can create, submit, approve or reject a merit proposal about their own pay.

• You cannot manually approve or reject a review that you submitted, unless you are the sole organisation administrator and the applicable approval checks allow it. Having only one administrator does not give an ordinary manager permission to approve their own submission. The exception never permits approval of your own pay.

• Automatic approval under the configured flow is separate from a person's permission to approve manually.

• A declined proposal is final and can't be resubmitted. The reason is shown to the submitting manager.

Good to know

On the Worksheets tab, administrators can also Approve or Decline individual employees' proposals, subject to the applicable workflow and own-pay restrictions.

The submitter is the person who actually submits the review. Do not assume that the assigned worksheet owner and the submitter are always the same person.

Related articles

• Launching, closing, applying and cancelling a cycle

• Assigning worksheets

• Configuring a merit cycle