For a visual walkthrough, watch our tutorial video below.
How to Create an Approval Workflow in OfficePortal
Approval workflows are essential for maintaining structured decision-making in any organisation. They help automate and streamline processes such as approving long leave requests, managing high-value expense claims, or reviewing important timesheet entries.
OfficePortal enables you to configure approval workflows across multiple modules — Leaves, Expenses, Timesheets, and more customised to fit your organisation’s internal process.
This guide walks you through the steps to create an approval workflow in OfficePortal, specifically for earned leave requests exceeding 10 days.
Step 1: Navigate to Approval Workflow Settings
Go to Settings.
Under Organisation Settings, click on Approval Workflow.
You will now see a list of existing workflows (if any) created for different modules.
Step 2: Create a New Workflow
Click the Add New button.
Enter a Workflow Name.
Example: Earned Leave – More Than 10 Days
Step 3: Select Module and Request Type
In the Module Type dropdown, select Leave Tracker.
Based on the module, the Request Type options will update.
Select Leave Request as the Request Type.
Step 4: Define Workflow Criteria
You can configure criteria to define when this workflow should be triggered.
For this example:
Leave Type: Includes Earned Leave
Number of Days: Greater than or equal to 10
Department: Includes Management
Note: You can add more conditions based on your organisational needs.
Step 5: Choose Approval Type
OfficePortal offers four approval types:
- Auto Approve
- Auto Reject
- Hierarchy
- Custom
Option A: Auto Approve
Select this option if you want the request to be automatically approved without any manual intervention.
Use this for low-risk scenarios where approvals aren’t necessary.
Option B: Auto Reject
Choose this option if you want the system to automatically reject requests that meet the specified criteria.
Useful when requests fall outside of policy, and no approval is required.
Option C: Hierarchy
Select Hierarchy.
Set the number of Approval Levels (e.g., 2).
Level 1: Reporting Manager
Level 2: Department Head
or any other level names based on your organisational settings.
Define a Response Time Limit (e.g., 5 days).
Specify an action if no response is received within the time limit:
Auto Approve
Auto Reject
Forward to Someone (e.g., CEO)
Option D: Custom
Select Custom to manually assign approvers at each level.
Level 1: Reporting Manager
Level 2: Project Manager
Add more levels as required.
Define a Response Time Limit.
Choose the fallback action if there is no response within the set timeframe:
Auto Approve
Auto Reject
Forward to Someone (enter name)
Step 6: Save the Workflow
Once all fields are configured:
Click Save to complete the workflow setup.
Manage Existing Workflows
From the main Approval Workflow screen, you can:
Edit, Delete, or Deactivate any workflow using the More options.
Activate a previously deactivated workflow.
Use the Filter tool to quickly locate specific workflows.
Your approval workflow is now successfully created and ready to automate your leave approval process in OfficePortal. Use this feature to ensure timely reviews and approvals based on your internal policies.