Manage Approval Permissions for Leave Applications

Permissions in Enerpize determine what each user can view or perform on leave applications within the multi-cycle approval flow. This behavior varies depending on the user’s role (requester, current approver, or previous or subsequent level approver) and the application status at each point in time. In this article, we explain each permission and its actual impact on user actions.

Before You Start

• Meaning of “Active”: A leave application is considered “Active” as long as it has not been finalized — that is, while it is still going through the approval stages (such as “Pending” or “First/Second Approval Received”). The application is no longer “Active” only when it reaches “Approved” or “Rejected” — the only two final statuses.
• Why This Matters: Permissions such as editing, deleting, or undoing an action depend on whether the application is still “Active.” Once the application is approved or rejected, these permissions automatically expire, even if the user is a recorded approver.

Permissions and Their Functional Impact

Edit/Delete Own Leave Applications

• The user can edit or delete:
  • Leave applications they created themselves.
  • Leave applications created by others if they are an approver and the application is currently Active.
• Important Restriction: If the user is an approver at a previous level (such as Level 1) and the application has currently moved to a later level (such as Level 2), they are no longer the current approver and cannot edit or delete the application.

View Own Leave Applications

• The user can view:
  • All leave applications they submitted themselves.
  • Any leave application submitted by another user if they are an approver (currently or previously).
• Once the user becomes an approver for an application, whether their level is currently active or has already been passed, they retain view access until the application is finalized (approved or rejected).
• Example (Level 2 Approver):
  • “Pending (0/3)”: Can view, edit, and approve/reject.
  • “First Approval Received (1/3)”: Can view, edit, and approve/reject.
  • “Second Approval Received (2/3)”: Can view only — cannot take a new action.
  • “Approved (3/3)”: Can view only.
• Note: Even after approving at their level, the approver can undo the approval or rejection as long as the next approver has not yet taken action.

Approve / Reject Leave Applications

• “Can approve/reject” means that the employee has the approval permission enabled and their name is included in one of the approval configurations.
• If the user is part of the approval flow but their level has not yet been reached, they cannot take any action.
• Once their level has been passed, they can no longer take a new action, except for undoing their previous action — this remains available as long as the next level has not taken action.

Add Leave Application

• Any user with this permission can submit a new leave application.

Edit/Delete All Leave Applications

• This permission grants unrestricted access to edit or delete any leave application in the system, regardless of whether it is Active or finalized.
• Being part of the approval flow or not does not affect this permission.

View All Leave Applications

• The user can view any leave application in the system, regardless of its requester or approval flow.

View Team Leave Applications

• This separate permission allows the user to view leave applications submitted by employees who report directly to them (their team), regardless of whether they are an approver for those applications.

Higher-Level Approvers

• A higher-level approver is notified only when their turn is reached.
• However, they can take action on the application at any stage that is equal to or lower than their assigned level, even before they receive the official notification that it is their turn.
• All approvers at all levels can view the application as soon as it is submitted, regardless of their current role in the approval flow.

Example 1 — Level 3 (Last) Approver in a 3-Level Application:

• At all stages (0/3, 1/3, 2/3, 3/3), they can view and take action.

Example 2 — Level 2 Approver in a 3-Level Application:

• At stages (0/3, 1/3, 2/3), they can view and take action.
• At stage (3/3 — Approved), they can view only and cannot take action.

Important Notes

• An approver loses the ability to take a new action once their level has been passed, but can undo their previous action as long as the next level has not yet taken action.
• The “Edit/Delete All Leave Applications” and “View All Leave Applications” permissions are completely independent of whether the user is part of the approval flow.
• These viewing and editing rules must be reflected consistently in the mobile application, not only on the web.