Approvals is one inbox for everything in SolaHR that is waiting for a person's decision: leave requests, timesheets, attendance review items, payroll runs in review, overtime entries, salary advances, additional earnings, resignations, end-of-service requests, expense claims, contractor and daily-worker logs, and employee-portal device reset requests. Instead of visiting thirteen pages to find out where work is piling up, you open this one, pick a type from the list, and decide the request in place.
The inbox does not replace the modules. Every decision is sent to the module's own rules: the same permissions, the same "you cannot approve your own request" checks, the same stage order and the same reasons. If you may not decide something, the row says so ("Waiting for another approver"). Approving here and approving on the module's own page do exactly the same thing.
Owners, SolaHR Administrators and HR managers use it every morning. A dashboard card, Awaiting your approval, shows the same count on the home screen.
Where to find it
- Sidebar: Overview → Approvals.
- URL:
/approvals. The older address/approval-workflowsstill opens the previous read-only overview. - Dashboard: the Awaiting your approval card and its Review approvals button.
| Who sees it | Condition |
|---|---|
| Menu item and page | Your role has View cross-module approval workflows, and your plan includes approval workflows. |
| Each request type | Only the types whose module is in your plan and that you may view (see the table below). A type you cannot see is not listed and not counted. |
Without the plan feature the page shows Not included in your plan. Without the permission, the menu item is hidden and the URL shows Access denied.
Screen tour
The header reads Approvals — "Every HR request waiting for a decision, grouped by HR section. Decisions go through each module's own rules."
1. Scope tabs
Two tabs above the inbox, each with a count:
| Tab | Shows |
|---|---|
| Awaiting my approval (default) | Only requests you can decide right now, at their current stage. |
| All pending requests | Every pending request you are allowed to see, including ones waiting for someone else. |
2. The side list: request types
On the left (a drop-down on phones) the list is headed Request types. At the top is All requests with the total. Below it the types are grouped under the same headings as the sidebar, each with its own count. A type with no waiting requests stays visible, greyed, so the structure never changes under you.
| Group | Request types |
|---|---|
| People | Portal device reset |
| Time & Attendance | Attendance review, Timesheet, Leave request |
| Payroll & Compensation | Payroll run, Overtime entry, Salary advance, Additional Earnings, Expense reimbursement |
| Employee Departures | Resignation, End of service |
| Field Workforce | Contractor work log, Daily worker log |
When you open the page, SolaHR selects the type whose request has waited longest. Click another type, or All requests, to change the table. The type is kept in the address, so you can bookmark it.
3. The table for the selected type
A heading with the type name, "n requests" and "Oldest waiting 3 day(s)" (or "since today"). For Attendance review a row of chips splits the count by kind: Missing punch, Late arrival, Early leave, Overtime (weekday), and so on, and a button Open attendance review ("Bulk approval and day-by-day review") opens Attendance review. For the two-stage logs the chips split by First-level approval and HR approval.
Filters, each with a label:
| Filter | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Search | "Employee, number or reference". Press Enter or leave the box. |
| Submitted from / Submitted to | Dates the request was submitted. |
| Order | Oldest first (default) or Newest first. |
Columns:
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Request | Only in All requests: the type, with its group under it. |
| Employee / requester | The person concerned, with their employee number and the request reference (for example LV-12). For a payroll run, the person who submitted it. |
| Details | An amount in bold when there is one, then the summary: type, dates ("12 Oct 2026 – 21 Oct 2026"), "n day(s)", duration, or "n installments of AED 1,500.00" for an advance. |
| Submitted | Date and time submitted. |
| Stage | Awaiting review, Missing punch, First-level approval or HR approval. When you cannot decide it: "Waiting for another approver". |
| Actions | View (opens the request on its own page) and the decisions you may take. |
Empty states: "Nothing is waiting for your decision." (Awaiting my approval), "No pending requests." (All pending requests), "No requests match these filters.".
Pages are 25 requests long, with page controls at the bottom.
Deciding a request
- Click the decision button on the row, for example Approve, Reject, Approve & disburse, Approve (first level) or Approve (HR).
- A dialog Confirm decision says, for example, "Approve — LV-12 (Omar Haddad)" and shows the type and details. Rejections use the title Reject request.
- When a reason is needed, a Reason box appears. It is required for rejecting a leave request, a timesheet, an additional earning and a daily-work log. For other rejections it is optional and saved as a note.
- Click the button in the dialog. You see "Decision recorded." and the lists, the dashboard card and the module counters refresh.
If someone else decided the request meanwhile, you see "This request was already processed by someone else. The list has been refreshed." and nothing changes.
Some requests are decided on their own page because they need more than a click. Their button is a link instead of a decision: Review on payroll page for payroll runs (where attendance acknowledgements are asked), Open request for resignations (it opens the request's own page) and Open departure case for end-of-service cases.
The request types
| Type (reference) | Who sees it | Who can decide it | Decisions in the inbox |
|---|---|---|---|
Portal device reset (DEV-) |
Manage employee portal links, devices, PINs, and sessions | The same permission | Approve (disconnect the old device) and Reject. See Portal Access. |
Attendance review (ATT-) |
View attendance or Manage attendance | Manage attendance, and only after the employee's workday is over | Approve, Reject. The stage Missing punch marks a proposed absence. See Attendance review. |
Timesheet (TS-) |
View attendance or Manage attendance | Manage attendance, not for your own timesheet, within your review scope | Approve, Reject (reason required). See Timesheets. |
Leave request (LV-) |
View leaves or Manage leaves | Manage leaves, within your scope, never your own request | Approve, Reject (reason required). See Leave. |
Payroll run (PAY-2026-10) |
View payroll runs or Approve payroll runs | Approve payroll runs, and not the person who submitted the run | Review on payroll page. See Payroll. |
Overtime entry (OT-) |
View overtime records, the legacy finance view, or Approve payroll runs | Approve payroll runs | Approve, Reject. Only standalone entries appear; overtime that comes from attendance is decided in the attendance review. See Overtime. |
Salary advance (ADV-) |
View advances & loans or the legacy finance view | Disburse advances (approve and pay out) or Create/edit advances & loans (cancel) | Approve & disburse, Cancel request. See Advances. |
Additional Earnings (VP-) |
View bonuses & incentives or Approve/reject bonuses & incentives | Approve/reject bonuses & incentives | Approve, Reject (reason required). See Additional Earnings. |
End of service (EOS-) |
View end of service or Approve end of service | Approve end of service (and Manage end of service to cancel) | Approve, Cancel request while pending; afterwards a link to the request while its final settlement is still a draft. See End of Service. |
Resignation (RES-) |
View end of service, Approve end of service or View leaves | Approve end of service or Manage leaves, and only within your review scope | A link that opens the resignation page. See Resignations. |
Expense reimbursement (EXP-) |
View employee expenses or Approve and pay employee expense reimbursements | Approve and pay employee expense reimbursements, not your own claim | Approve, Reject. See Expenses. |
Contractor work log (DW-) |
Manage attendance | Manage attendance | Approve (first level), then Approve (HR); Reject (reason required). See Daily Work. |
Daily worker log (DE-) |
Manage attendance | Manage attendance | The same two stages. See Daily Employees. |
Each request is counted once, whatever its stage or how many people could approve it.
Statuses and stages
| Stage badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Awaiting review | The normal first stage: a person must approve or reject. |
| Missing punch | An attendance item that proposes an absence because nobody punched. Approving it records the absence. |
| First-level approval | A contractor or daily-worker log waiting for its first approver. |
| HR approval | The same log after first-level approval, waiting for HR. |
| "Waiting for another approver" (under the badge) | You may see the request but cannot decide it: you lack the permission, it is your own request, it is outside your scope, or you submitted the payroll run. |
Permissions
| Role | Sees Approvals | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Yes | Every type the plan includes, and can decide them all except their own requests. |
| SolaHR Administrator | Yes | Full authority in SolaHR. |
| Manager-level SolaHR role (default) | Yes | Can decide leave, timesheets, attendance and additional earnings. Payroll approval needs Approve payroll runs, which managers do not have by default. |
| Member-level SolaHR role (default) | No | — |
| HR Manager, Department Manager (scoped) | No | They approve leave and attendance for their assigned departments from their own workspace. See Team access. |
| Attendance Recorder, HR Viewer | No | — |
Seeing a request here never lets you bypass the module: its own permission and scope are checked again when you decide.
Worked examples
Example 1: a quick morning check
Monday 12 October 2026, 08:30, Al Noor Trading LLC. Mariam (Owner) opens Approvals. Awaiting my approval reads 9 and All pending requests 11.
- SolaHR opens Leave request first, because Sara Khan's request has waited longest ("Oldest waiting 3 day(s)"). The table lists Sara Khan, Omar Haddad and Khalid Nasser, each with dates and days.
- Mariam clicks Approve on Sara's request, confirms "Approve — LV-31 (Sara Khan)" and sees "Decision recorded."
- For Khalid's request she clicks Reject; the dialog demands a Reason. She types "Peak season — please move to November" and confirms.
- She selects Attendance review in the side list. The chips show Missing punch 2 and Late arrival 2. She clicks Open attendance review to approve in bulk.
- Two items show Waiting for another approver under the All pending requests tab: a leave request filed by Mariam herself (nobody approves their own leave), and a payroll run she submitted on Friday (a different person must approve it).
Example 2: month-end payroll with additional earnings
On 28 October, HR at Al Noor prepares October payroll (AED 412,300 gross for 46 employees).
- Sales enters Q3 commissions as Additional Earnings: AED 2,500 for Omar Haddad and AED 1,800 for Sara Khan. The approvals card shows 2 under Payroll & Compensation.
- The Sales director has Approve/reject bonuses & incentives. In Approvals → Additional Earnings she approves both. The type returns to 0.
- Payroll creates the October run and submits it for review. Payroll run shows 1 for the Owner, with Review on payroll page. For the person who submitted it, the row says "Waiting for another approver".
- The Owner opens the payroll page, reviews the totals (now including AED 4,300 of additional earnings) and approves.
- On reload: Payroll run 0, and the dashboard card Awaiting your approval is down by one.
How it connects
| Screen | Connection |
|---|---|
| Leave, Timesheets, Attendance review, Payroll, Overtime, Advances, Additional Earnings, Expenses, End of Service, Resignations, Daily Work, Daily Employees, Portal Access | The inbox reads their pending records and sends each decision to the module's own endpoint. |
| Dashboard | The Awaiting your approval card counts exactly what the inbox shows for you. |
| My Portal, Employee portal | Requests from employees' self-service enter the leave, timesheet, resignation and device-reset types. |
| Sidebar badge | Leave in the sidebar shows the pending leave count. |
Tips and common problems
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A type I expect is missing from the list. | Your plan does not include the module, or you lack its view permission. | Ask the Owner. |
| A row shows "Waiting for another approver". | It is your own request, you lack the decision permission, or it is outside your scope. | Switch to All pending requests to see it; ask the right approver. |
| Attendance items have no Approve button. | The employee's workday is not over yet. | Come back after the shift ends. |
| The decision dialog insists on a Reason. | Rejecting leave, a timesheet, additional earnings or a log needs one. | Type the reason. |
| "This request was already processed by someone else." | Another approver decided first. | Nothing to do; the list refreshed. |
| I cannot find the decision history. | The new inbox lists only pending work. | Use the module's own list, or the Audit Log. |