In the Approval Policy Management menu, you can view, modify, and manage all of your company's approval policies — including documents, work schedules, and leave — all in one place. You can also create approval templates for bulk application and editing. Before managing approval policies, we recommend setting up custom approval labels first using the guide on the right!
Only administrators who have been granted the [Approval Policy Management] permission can access this menu.
However, if an administrator has the relevant management permission for each item requiring approval under the member HR information management permissions — such as [Work Type and Policy Settings], [Annual Leave Policy and Facilitation Management] + [Custom Leave Management] — they can access the approval policy management settings for their respective permissions even without the [Approval Policy Management] permission.
(e.g., if you only have the Work Type and Policy Settings permission, you can only view work approvals in Approval Policy Management)
Approval Template Setup
This is the process of setting approval stages that match your company policy to create [Approval Templates] that can be directly applied to workflows and work/leave policies.
Click [Settings] → [Approval Policy Management] in the bottom left menu, then click [Approval Templates] in the top right.
Click [New Template], enter a template name, and set up the approval stages.
Reference Target Setup
A reference recipient is not someone who participates in the approval stage by approving, consenting, or collaborating. They are an organization or member who receives the document as a reference, similar to an email CC recipient.
With the approval stage set up as shown below, you can configure it so that approval is requested from the requester's (member's) 1st-level manager, and a reference notification is sent to members belonging to the CEO's organization.
Clicking the [Notify] button next to a reference recipient allows you to configure different reference notification settings per organization or member included in the reference group. You can set it to include them in the reference but send no notification, or only notify upon completion.
If you want to set it to send notifications only to reference recipients without any approval, hover over the stage line and select [Delete Stage], then save.
Approval Stage Setup
If you're curious about what 1st and 2nd level managers are, please refer to the Understanding the flex Approval Structure guide!
Click [Add Target] to add an approval target.
Nth-level manager: Refers to the Nth-level manager of the requester (drafter). The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level managers differ per requester based on their primary organization.
For example, the 1st-level manager of member A belonging to the Marketing team is the Marketing team manager, and the 2nd-level manager is the Growth team manager.
Organization: The top 5 organizations added first under Settings → HR Information → Add Organization are displayed first. To add other organizations as approval targets, use [View Org Chart].
View Org Chart: You can expand and view all company organizations. Enabling the [Select Sub-organizations Together] checkbox at the bottom means all sub-organizations of the growth team are included as approval targets.
When an organization is set as an approval target, the approval is finalized when any one member of that organization approves.
However, when individual members are added as approvers, all of them must approve for the approval to be completed.
You can select and apply the [Approval by Requester] and [Allow Modification] options per approval template.
What is Approval by Requester?: You can configure different approval workflows depending on the requester (member). For example, when requesting overtime approval, regular members can be set to get approval from their 1st-level manager, while managers get approval from HR.
Allow Modification option: You can choose whether to allow members to directly edit the approval stages.
Click [Save] at the bottom to save the approval template.
Approval Policy Management
Click [Settings] → [Approval Policy Management] in the bottom left menu to view all of your company's approval policy statuses.
Click on the form or policy tab you want to change → you can edit the approval stages or apply an approval template.
If you want to set it to send only reference notifications, hover over the stage line and select [Delete Stage] then save, or you must allow members to edit the approval line before saving.
Bulk Apply Approval Templates
Click on individual tabs to apply an approval template, or click the [All Policies] checkbox in the top left, then click [Apply Template] at the bottom.
After reviewing the template to apply, click the [Apply] button at the bottom to apply the approval template.
If you edit the Approval by Requester option, Allow Modification option, or approval line in the [Apply Approval Template screen], these changes will not be reflected in the previously created approval template!
Bulk Change Approval Policies
If you don't need to apply an [Approval Template] but need to edit the approval line, you can use the [Change Approval Policy] feature.
Click the tab for the approval policy you want to change or check the [All Policies] checkbox in the top left, then click [Change Approval Policy] at the bottom.
After configuring the approval stages, click [Apply] at the bottom.
You can confirm that the approval policies for the previously selected Work, Field Work, and Remote Work have been changed in bulk.
You can also bulk apply whether to allow members to edit the approval line or set it to non-editable! For policies where the [Allow Modification] option is applied, the [Allow Modification] tag is activated as shown in the image below.
Approval Policy Management Search and Filters
A search function is available on the Approval Policy Management screen. Search by workflow form name or the name of a work/leave type to quickly find the information you need!
You can quickly filter by [Approver], [Reference Recipient], and [Whether Allow Modification and Approval by Requester are configured] using the [Filter] button in the top right.
You can quickly view forms that have Approval by Requester configured and the Allow Modification option set, as shown below.
If you need to modify form or policy settings, please do so from the Document Form Management or Work/Leave settings screen.
Replacing a Retired Approver
When an approver has retired, only administrators with super-admin permissions can designate a proxy approver (acting approver) to continue the approval process.
Also, when replacing a retired approver, the new approver can only be designated at the individual member level. If there are 2 or more Nth-level managers, other managers can proceed with the approval, so the retired approver replacement feature is not available.
If an employee has retired and there are pending workflow documents, work, or leave approval policies stuck with the retired employee, you will see a notification in the Settings - Approval Policy Management menu at the bottom left that says [There is an approver who needs to be replaced due to retirement.]
Click [Check] on the right. For workflow document approvals, a list requiring replacement is displayed per form.
For work and leave approvals, they are consolidated under 'Work Approval Policy' and 'Leave Approval Policy' respectively.
After confirming the retired employee, set the proxy approver. Since it is difficult to change the proxy approver once set, please review before setting, then select [Replace Approver] to confirm.
When the approver is successfully replaced, you will be notified.
FAQ
Can I add consensus or collaboration steps in addition to approval?
Can I add consensus or collaboration steps in addition to approval?
Yes, you can! To add consensus or collaboration participants, you need to set up custom labels first. Click the guide on the right to learn more!
I set up approvals, but they don't seem to be triggered as intended.
I set up approvals, but they don't seem to be triggered as intended.
For example, if you set it to send an approval request to the 1st-level manager but the request went to someone else, please check the following.
flex approvals determine the 1st (Nth) level manager based on [the organizational hierarchy].
For example, if there is a parent organization called the Business Support Team above the HR Team, the 1st-level manager of HR team member Hong Gildong is the HR Team manager, and the 2nd-level manager is the Business Support Team manager.Please verify that the organizational hierarchy is correctly set up.
Go to Organization Setup GuideIf you want to set Yi Sunshin as Hong Gildong's 1st-level manager, you need to appoint Yi Sunshin as the manager of the organization Hong Gildong belongs to. If there is no actual manager for Hong Gildong's organization, you need to appoint Yi Sunshin as the manager of the parent organization for the system to recognize Yi Sunshin as Hong Gildong's 1st-level manager.
Go to HR Assignment GuideOnce you have completed organization setup and HR assignments, click on the company organization in the left [Members] - [Org Chart] tab to verify the manager information per organization, as shown in the example image below.
If you set up the approval line through the Approval by Requester setting but the approval doesn't seem to be triggered according to that setting, check [the order of the Approval by Requester approval lines].
If the requester is included in both the first and second requester-specific approval lines,
the requester will follow the first approval line.
If you intend for the second approval line to apply, change the order of the two approval lines.
Why can't I see all organizations on the approval setup screen?
Why can't I see all organizations on the approval setup screen?
When selecting an organization while setting up the approval line, not all organizations may be visible. The top 5 organizations added first under Settings → HR Information → Add Organization are displayed first. To add other organizations as approval targets, use [View Org Chart] to browse all company organizations, or use the [Search] function to search for the organization name and add it to the approval line.
Is there no proxy/acting approval feature for when a team manager is on long-term leave or leave of absence?
Is there no proxy/acting approval feature for when a team manager is on long-term leave or leave of absence?
Currently, a feature for another member to approve on behalf of an absent approver is not provided. 🥲
Please process all documents that need to be approved before going on leave or leave of absence,
or if on leave, approve upon return / or try using the 'Approval by Requester' feature to temporarily route approvals that would go to that approver to a different approver.
Alternatively, you can use the auto-proceed setting to automatically process approvals after N days, so please keep this in mind. 🙏
I changed the approver from a retired employee to another member. Will the new approver be notified?
I changed the approver from a retired employee to another member. Will the new approver be notified?
When you change the approver of a pending document (workflow, work, leave approval) stuck with a retired employee to another member, no separate notification is sent to the new approver. However, the replacement approver can view documents they have not yet reviewed or approved under [Documents Requiring Approval] in the left menu Workflow - My Inbox - In Progress tab.
Also, no separate notification is sent to the original drafter, so please inform the drafter and approver in advance before and after the replacement!
Also, since no notification is sent for work and leave approvals either, we recommend informing the replacement approver in advance and proceeding with approval from the member's leave overview and work screen.
When replacing a retired approver, can I check in detail what approval requests need to be replaced?
When replacing a retired approver, can I check in detail what approval requests need to be replaced?
Here's how to check in detail what approval requests need to be replaced when replacing a retired approver!
For workflow documents: In the left menu, go to Workflow - Company Inbox - add the Approver filter, then select the retired employee to see what pending unapproved documents are stuck with them.
For work/leave approval requests: In the left menu, go to Attendance Management - Attendance Dashboard and click the Pending Approval tab to see what work/leave approval requests are stuck with the retired employee.
When replacing a retired approver, can I change the approver for only some of the pending documents?
When replacing a retired approver, can I change the approver for only some of the pending documents?
When replacing a retired approver, changing the approver for only some of the pending documents (workflows, work, leave, etc.) is not currently supported.
When replacing a retired approver, does the approver in the existing approval line also change?
When replacing a retired approver, does the approver in the existing approval line also change?
When replacing a retired approver, the approver in the existing approval line — i.e., the policy — is not changed.
Can a 2nd-stage approver view the approval request content before the 1st-stage approver approves?
Can a 2nd-stage approver view the approval request content before the 1st-stage approver approves?
By default, the 1st-stage approval must be completed before the 2nd-stage approver can view and proceed with the approval request. However, if the 2nd-stage approver has Company Document Management permissions, they can view all documents.
Also, if they are included as a reference recipient of that document, they can view it!
Can I configure it so that no approval is triggered by default, and approval is only triggered when specific members or organizations submit a request?
Can I configure it so that no approval is triggered by default, and approval is only triggered when specific members or organizations submit a request?
The Approval by Requester setting can only be activated when the default approval setting is enabled. If you want regular members to proceed without any approval but contract employees to trigger approval when registering leave, we recommend setting only the HR team as a reference in the default setting, then proceeding with the Approval by Requester configuration!
I changed the Approval by Requester setting or the approval line, but it doesn't seem to have been applied. What should I check?
I changed the Approval by Requester setting or the approval line, but it doesn't seem to have been applied. What should I check?
If you changed the approval line or configured the Approval by Requester setting but it doesn't seem to have been changed or applied as intended, please check whether you only created the approval template without applying it to individual workflow forms and leave/work policies!
I no longer want to receive email notifications related to work and leave approvals.
I no longer want to receive email notifications related to work and leave approvals.
If you no longer want to receive email notifications related to work and leave approvals, approvers can turn off email notifications in My Settings. This setting must be configured individually by each member (approver) and cannot be bulk-configured by an administrator.
Here is how to turn off email notifications:
Click the company name and logo at the top of the left menu
Select My Settings
Go to the Notification Settings menu
Change the email notification setting to 'Off'
Can't I save the approval line if there is an employee on leave of absence in the workflow, work, or leave approval/reference targets?
Can't I save the approval line if there is an employee on leave of absence in the workflow, work, or leave approval/reference targets?
You cannot add members on leave of absence to workflow form approval lines or work/leave approval/reference targets. Members on leave of absence are recognized as 'on leave' in flex, and since flex usage is basically restricted during the leave period, they cannot be set as approval/reference targets. Also, you cannot set an 'organization' that only has members on leave of absence as an approval/reference target.
If you want a member to review workflow forms created during their leave period after they return, we recommend sharing them separately using the bulk document sharing feature after the member returns
For documents with approvals in progress, can the approver/reference recipient be replaced (changed) or deleted?
For documents with approvals in progress, can the approver/reference recipient be replaced (changed) or deleted?
For documents created via work, leave, workflow features, and expense reports, the approver of an in-progress approval document cannot be changed or deleted.
This restriction applies equally to super-admin permissions.
For example, if Hong Gildong is designated as the 2nd-stage approver in an in-progress expense report (or any other type of in-progress approval document), it is possible to additionally designate Hong Gilsun, but deleting or replacing the existing approver Hong Gildong is not supported.
However, if the approver has retired, only administrators with super-admin permissions can designate a proxy approver (acting approver) to continue the approval process.
In this case, replacing the retired approver is only possible at the individual member level, and if there are 2 or more Nth-level managers, other managers can proceed with the approval, so the retired approver replacement feature is not provided.
For more details on replacing a retired approver, please refer to the guide on the right. (Go to Guide)