Allow Time Off Approval outside the Standard Workflow

This article provides guidance on granting a user access to approve employee time off requests, bypassing the standard approval workflow. This is particularly useful when designated approvers are unavailable. It outlines the creation of a custom access level, detailing the necessary steps, including the ability to manage time off policy assignments and edit past requests. The article emphasizes the importance of specifying what the new access level can do and see, including adjusting settings for employee visibility and time off categories. It also explains how users can approve requests directly from their inbox, bypassing other approvers if needed. Clear instructions are provided for adding employees to the new access level.

  • Jul 2, 2026
  • Knowledge

Title
Allow Time Off Approval outside the Standard Workflow
Article Text
This feature is included in the Core, Pro, and Elite packages.

How do I grant a user access to bypass an approval workflow and approve time off requests for all employees?

Purpose: To teach you how to give a user access to approve an employee's time off request regardless of the designated approver(s) in the settings of a time off approval workflow. This action is helpful if a designated approver is out of the office and you need to give another user access to approve a request in their absence.

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Table of Contents

New Custom Access Level

Basic Info

Create a new custom access level, and be sure to add a description to let others know the purpose(s) of the new access level.

What this Access Level Can Do

Select if you would like the employees in this access level to be able to Mange Time Off Policy Assignments and/or Edit Past Time Off Requests.

What this Access Level Can See

Once you fill out what information you would like the user(s) in this access level to do, move ahead to What Can People with this Access Level See?

  1. Under the See About other Employees section, adjust the access setting of this access level's information to All Employees, or use the standard filter to give access to a specific group of employees.
  2. Click the Time Off tab. Select the time off category/categories for the specific user(s) in this access level of who you would like to have approval abilities for time off requests. When a user gains Edit access, they will see any pertaining time off requests in their inbox (see example below).

In addition to time off categories, the user will need access to the First Name and Last Name fields on the Personal tab. However, you can grant the user access to additional fields on the employee profile if needed.

Adding Employees to Your Access Level

Once you've created your new Access Level, next step is to add employees. From the Access Level tab, click your new Time Off access level and click +Add Employees to select employees from the dropdown.

How To Approve Time Off With a Custom Access Level

Once you add a user to the new access level, they can access any corresponding time off requests within their inbox in BambooHR.

After the user clicks a time off request, they can bypass the designated approver(s) and take action on the request.

When the user takes action on the request, they will receive a notification that they will be bypassing other approvers. They can click Approve Anyway to bypass the approver(s) and approve the request.

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