Support

Two stage leave approvals

manageradmin Last updated 26 April 2026

Some leave types are sensitive enough that they need two people to approve them: the requester’s manager AND an HR admin. The platform calls this two stage approval. It’s commonly used for:

  • Parental leave
  • Long service leave
  • Custom company-specific leave that requires HR sign off

If your org doesn’t use any two stage leave types, you can ignore this article. Most day-to-day requests (annual, personal/carer’s) just need a single manager approval.

How requests flow through the two stages

  1. Employee submits the request. Status: Pending. Email sent to the manager.
  2. Manager reviews and approves. Status changes to Pending stage 2. Email sent to the HR admin. The requester is notified that stage 1 is done.
  3. HR admin reviews and approves. Status changes to Approved. The days are deducted from the requester’s balance. Email sent to the requester confirming final approval.

If either approver declines, the request goes straight to Rejected and the rejection reason is shared with the requester.

What managers do at stage 1

You see the request in your normal approval queue on My Leave. You approve or decline as usual. The platform automatically routes approved requests to the HR admin for stage 2.

A note worth giving: in your stage 1 decision, focus on whether the request works for the team (timing, coverage). The HR admin handles the policy/entitlement check at stage 2.

What HR admins do at stage 2

Stage 2 requests appear in the admin leave view, filtered to Pending stage 2. You review:

  • Whether the requester is entitled to this type of leave
  • Whether their record (length of service, dependants, etc.) meets the entitlement rules
  • Any supporting evidence required (medical certificate, etc.)

You approve or decline. Your decision is final.

Status badges through the lifecycle

  • Pending. Stage 1 awaiting manager.
  • Pending stage 2. Stage 1 done, awaiting HR admin.
  • Approved. Both stages done.
  • Rejected. Either approver declined.
  • Cancelled. The requester withdrew the request.

The colour coding on the platform follows: amber (pending), purple (stage 2), green (approved), red (rejected), grey (cancelled).

Configuration

The choice of which leave types need two stage approval is set on each leave type in your settings. Manager only, HR admin only, two stage, and auto-approve are the four routing options. Talk to your HR admin if you think the routing on a specific leave type should change.