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HR Employee Request Guides
Leave Request Approval Process Guide
Guide

Leave Request Approval Process Guide

Plan a leave request approval process with dates, leave type, balance context, coverage planning, manager review, HR exceptions, payroll handoff, and status visibility.

A leave request approval process should help employees submit clear requests and help managers make responsible coverage decisions. The workflow should also preserve HR context for exceptions, attendance, timesheets, and payroll handoff without pretending to make policy decisions automatically.

Review leave approval fieldsOpen leave request form
Leave Request FormStart from: Leave Request Form
01

Capture request details before approval

Employees should not need a side conversation to explain a basic leave request. The record should include the dates, leave type, reason, and supporting context before review begins.

  • Employee, department, manager, leave type, start date, end date, and partial-day detail.
  • Reason, emergency or planned status, supporting files, and policy exception notes.
  • Requester status values such as submitted, returned, approved, rejected, and cancelled.
  • Comments that stay with the request instead of disappearing in chat.
02

Separate coverage planning from HR exceptions

Managers usually review coverage, while HR may need to review policy exceptions or missing context. Keeping those decisions separate makes the approval trail easier to understand.

  • Coverage owner, shift impact, handoff notes, blackout dates, and staffing conflict.
  • Manager decision, returned reason, and requested changes.
  • HR review for exception reason, unpaid leave, balance concern, or sensitive case.
  • Escalation owner when timing or policy context needs more review.
03

Connect approved leave to downstream records

Approved leave may affect attendance, schedules, timesheets, payroll, and team planning. The approval process should show what has been handed off.

  • Attendance update status, payroll note, calendar update, and timesheet impact.
  • Approved leave tracker entry with manager and HR decision history.
  • Absence report link when an unplanned absence needs follow-up.
  • Closeout status when all downstream updates are complete.
04

Use views for managers, HR, and employees

Different people need different views. Employees need request status, managers need pending approvals, and HR needs exceptions and downstream follow-up.

  • Pending manager approval, pending HR review, returned to employee, approved, rejected, and closed.
  • Upcoming approved leave by team or department.
  • Exception, unpaid leave, conflict, or missing information views.
  • Overdue approval reminders before the requested leave date.
Approval fields

Leave request approval process fields

Use these fields to make leave requests reviewable, coverage-aware, and easier to hand off after approval.

AreaWhat to captureReview questionOwner
RequestEmployee, leave type, dates, reason, files.What is being requested?Employee
CoverageBackup owner, shift impact, conflicts, handoff notes.Can the team cover the absence?Manager
ExceptionBalance context, unpaid flag, exception reason.Does HR need to review?HR
DecisionApprove, reject, return, decision date, notes.What was decided?Approver
HandoffAttendance, payroll, calendar, timesheet status.What needs updating after approval?HR or payroll
Templates

Connect leave approval to HR follow-up

Use the guide to define leave approval fields, then connect time off requests, absence reports, leave trackers, attendance, and timesheet handoffs.

Best template to start withBest starting point: Leave Request Form

Start here when employees need one place to submit dates, leave type, reason, coverage context, manager review, and HR follow-up status.

Leave Request FormLeave Request FormCollect PTO and leave requests with dates, leave type, balance check, coverage plan, manager approval, and requester status in one workflow.Time Off Request FormTime Off Request FormCollect PTO and time-off requests with dates, leave type, balance context, coverage plan, manager approval, and requester status.Employee Leave TrackerEmployee Leave TrackerTrack leave balances, requests, approvals, coverage plans, upcoming absences, and status by employee, manager, and team.Employee Absence Report FormEmployee Absence Report FormRecord employee absences with date, reason category, supporting notes, manager review, HR follow-up, and attendance status.Shift Change Request FormShift Change Request FormCollect shift change requests with current shift, requested shift, coverage impact, reason, manager approval, and schedule update.Remote Work Request FormRemote Work Request FormReview remote work requests with schedule, location, equipment, security, manager approval, HR notes, and renewal dates.Employee Attendance TrackerEmployee Attendance TrackerTrack attendance exceptions, absence patterns, and supervisor follow-up before recurring issues turn into payroll or staffing problems.Timesheet Approval WorkflowTimesheet Approval WorkflowRoute timesheets through manager approval, missing-hour review, correction requests, payroll cutoff checks, and exception follow-up.
FAQ

Questions about leave request approval

What should a leave request approval process include?

Include employee details, leave type, dates, reason, coverage plan, manager decision, HR exception review, attendance or payroll handoff, and visible request status.

Should time off and leave use the same approval process?

They can share the same approval logic, but planned leave, time off, absence, remote work, and shift changes may need different fields.

Can this replace HR policy review?

No. It organizes the request, review, and handoff record. HR policy decisions should still follow your company process and qualified review.

Next Step

Open the leave request template

Preview the Jodoo template, then adapt leave types, approval routing, coverage planning, reminders, and status views around your HR process.

Preview this template