Leave approval workflow

How it works

1. The employee applies in My Self-Service or the mobile app, picks full days or a first-half or second-half session, and adds a reason.
2. The live rule check runs before submit. A blocker stops the request; warnings travel with it to the approver.
3. The request reaches the reporting manager in My Team, on the web and in the app, who approves or rejects it with an optional comment.
4. HR then decides it from Leave Applications, where tabs show Pending, Approved, Rejected, Cancelled and All requests with each approval step.
5. On final approval ZeniaHR books the paid days on the leave ledger, records any leave without pay and flags payroll for that month.
6. A pending request can be cancelled by the employee or HR. An approved leave can be cancelled with a reason, and its days return to the balance.

What you can set

• Approval chain: reporting manager, then HR. An employee with no reporting manager goes straight to HR.
• Requests that HR raises for an employee are decided in one HR step.
• A rejection at any step ends the request; the last approval closes it.
• Employees can cancel an approved leave themselves only before it starts.
• Cancelling approved leave is refused while any charged date sits in a finalized attendance month, until HR reopens that month.
• Alerts for leave applied, approved, rejected and cancelled, sent in-app, by email, on WhatsApp or as push as set in Notifications.
• The HR dashboard shows the leave approval queue and the oldest pending leave requests.

Why a two-step chain works for most teams

The manager knows whether the work can spare the person that week; HR knows the policy, the balance and the payroll dates. A two-step chain puts each check with the person who can make it. ZeniaHR routes every request by the reporting line in the employee record, so nobody maintains approval lists, and a new joiner's leave reaches the right manager from day one. The one thing to keep correct is the reporting manager itself, which the org chart helps you check.

Worked example: a festival week request

Farhan is a store supervisor in a Hyderabad retail chain. His roster gives him Tuesday as the weekly off. On 2 November 2026 he applies for earned leave from Monday 9 to Saturday 14 November. The preview shows 6 days charged, including Tuesday 10 November under the sandwich rule, because leave sits on both sides of it. His balance of 11 days will drop to 5.

His store manager approves from the app the same morning with the comment covered by Salma. HR approves in Leave Applications the next day, and the ledger posts a debit of 6 days. On 5 November his family plans change. He cancels the approved leave himself, since it has not started, and all 6 days return to his balance with a credit entry on the ledger.

Keeping approvals moving

Approvals usually stall when a request sits with someone who does not know it is there. Ask managers to install the app so they can approve on the move, and to read the morning summary that shows who is in, late and on leave. HR should clear the Pending tab daily, oldest first. If leave must be cancelled after the attendance month is finalized, reopen the month with a reason, cancel, and close it again before running payroll.

Frequently asked questions