Nov 2026 — Leave Approval Revamp
Leave requests not actioned within 2 working days move automatically to the approver's manager.
Why: Staff were waiting weeks when an approver was on leave. This was the top complaint in the last support survey.
Before
A request sat in the approver's queue forever until they came back.
After
After 2 working days the request appears in the next manager's queue, and both people get an email.
How to use it
- No action is needed, the escalation is automatic.
- Approvers see an "Escalated to you" tag on the request.
- The original approver stays visible in the request history.
Easy to get wrong
The request is auto-approved after 2 days.
The request is reassigned to another approver, it is never auto-approved.
The 2 days are calendar days.
The 2 days are working days, so weekends and public holidays do not count.
Support should tell the employee to resubmit a stuck request.
Resubmitting is no longer needed, the request escalates by itself.
Limits
- A request does not escalate if the approver has no manager set in the system. HR gets a weekly report of these instead.
Must remember
- Escalation reassigns the request, it never approves it.
Employees now see their remaining leave balance on the submission form before they send the request.
Why: Around a third of rejected requests were people asking for leave they did not have.
Before
The balance was only visible on a separate Leave Balance page.
After
The balance updates live on the form as the employee picks dates, and blocks submission if the balance is not enough.
How to use it
- Open the leave request form.
- Pick the start and end dates.
- The remaining balance appears under the date picker.
Easy to get wrong
The form blocks all requests over the balance.
Unpaid leave and medical leave can still be submitted over the balance, only annual leave is blocked.
The balance includes leave that is still pending approval.
The balance already subtracts pending requests, so the number shown is what is really left.
Limits
- The live balance does not cover staff on probation, because their entitlement is calculated monthly.
Must remember
- The balance shown already subtracts pending requests.
Managers can select several leave requests and approve or reject them in one action.
Why: Managers with large teams were clicking through requests one by one every Monday.
Before
Each request had to be opened and approved individually.
After
Managers tick the requests in the list and click Approve selected, up to 50 at a time.
How to use it
- Go to the Approvals list.
- Tick the checkbox next to each request.
- Click Approve selected or Reject selected.
Easy to get wrong
A rejection reason is optional in bulk mode.
A rejection reason is still required, and it applies to every request in that batch.
Bulk approval skips the usual approval rules.
All the normal rules still run, and any request that fails a rule is left untouched and listed as skipped.
Limits
- Bulk actions are capped at 50 requests at a time, and are not available on the phone layout.
Must remember
- One rejection reason applies to the whole batch, so do not mix unrelated rejections.
Practise the quiz
Try the 12 questions on your own, as many times as you like. Nothing here is recorded.
Bulk approval for managers
Which statement about Bulk approval for managers is correct?