Build Leave Request Approval Workflow

Duration: ~20 min · Level: Beginner · Template: #242 Leave Request + Manager Approval · Deployment: Cloud

Prerequisites: Your First Workflow. Read Approvals Explained for where managers decide requests.

Build an HR leave request workflow from template #242: log the request, send it to a manager for approval, and notify the employee of the outcome.

What this template does

Submit Leave Request — manual trigger (or replace with a form/webhook).
Log Leave Request — creates an HR task with dates and reason.
Manager Approval — routes to [email protected] by default.
Wait → Check → Switch — approved vs rejected branches.
Notification — success or warning message to the employee.

Step 1 — Load the template

Studio → Templates → search Leave Request or category HR.
Load template #242 — Leave Request + Manager Approval.

Step 2 — Provide test payload

Use Dry Run or Manual trigger with fields the template references:

{
  "employeeName": "Jordan Lee",
  "leaveType": "Annual",
  "startDate": "2026-07-20",
  "endDate": "2026-07-24",
  "days": 5,
  "reason": "Family vacation"
}

Step 3 — Set the approver

Open Manager Approval in the Inspector.
Set Approver to the employee's manager email, or {{managerEmail}} from upstream data.
Adjust Expires in hours (default 72) to match your HR policy.

Step 4 — Run the approval cycle

Activate the workflow and start a Manual run with the JSON above.
Open Jobs → Approvals. Approve or reject the leave request.
After the delay/check nodes run, confirm the correct Approved or Rejected notification branch fired.

Step 5 — Production tweaks

Replace Manual trigger with Form Input or a webhook from your HR portal.
Store manager mapping in Global Variables or a lookup table.
Add a calendar sync node (Google/Microsoft) on the approved branch if needed.

What you learned

Minimal HR approval flow: task log → approval → branch → notify.
Testing business approvals from the Jobs panel.