I can't create, view, or approve an Absence Request: what should I check?

Creating, viewing, and approving Absence Requests depend on different settings in the platform.

The Permission roles field, available in the request category or subcategory settings, defines who can create that request. The Approval Flow determines who can approve or decline it.

Therefore, situations such as the following may occur:

• The employee or supervisor cannot find the option to create a request in the app or web platform;
• The request was submitted, but the supervisor cannot view it;
• The request appears, but the user does not have the approval actions;
• The employee appears in Super Punch, but their request does not appear in Absence & Vacation.

If the user experiencing the issue is an employee or supervisor without access to the platform settings, they must contact the HR team or the responsible administrator. Only an authorized user can review permission roles, teams, and the Approval Flow.

1. The employee or supervisor cannot create the request

When an absence category or subcategory does not appear for the employee or supervisor, check the Permission roles field configured for that type of request.

This field defines which users or permission levels can create the request. If it only contains permission roles different from the one assigned to the employee, the option will not be available to them in the app or web platform.

It may also happen that the request settings are correct, but the employee is assigned to the wrong permission level.

To check:

1. Go to Absence & Vacation;
2. Open Requests Settings;
3. Select the category or subcategory the employee wants to use;
4. Locate the Permission roles field;
5. Check which permission roles are selected;
6. Check which permission level is assigned to the employee;
7. Add the correct permission role to the request type or adjust the employee's permission according to the access they should have;
8. Click Save.

Example:

• The Medical leave subcategory is available only to users with a specific permission role;
• The employee has the Basic profile, which is not included in the configuration;
• Therefore, they cannot find this option when trying to create the request;
• To correct it, the responsible user must review the Permission roles field or the level assigned to the employee.

Important: if the employee or supervisor does not have access to change the platform settings, they must contact the HR team or the responsible administrator. The category may be unavailable because of a restriction configured by HR or because of the permission assigned to the user.

2. Understand the difference between Permission roles and Approval Flow

Do not confuse the Permission roles field with the Approval Flow:

• Permission roles: defines who can create that type of request;
• Approval Flow: defines who can approve or decline requests.

Adding a profile or permission level to the Permission roles field does not make those users approvers. Likewise, adding a user to the Approval Flow does not automatically allow them to create the request.

Example:

• The Medical leave request type has the Supervisor profile selected under Permission roles;
• Employees covered by this profile will be able to create the request;
• To approve it, the responsible user must also be included in the Approval Flow.

3. Confirm that the request was submitted

If the employee was able to create the request but the responsible user cannot find it, go to Absence & Vacation and use the available filters.

Check mainly:

• The employee;
• The period;
• The category or request type;
• The request status.

Make sure the selected period includes the request date. A filter that does not include the correct date may prevent the request from being found.

After it is submitted, the request remains pending while it waits for the approvals defined in the Approval Flow.

4. Check the employee's team

A supervisor can view employees linked to their own team.

If they cannot find a specific employee's request, confirm:

• Which team the employee belongs to;
• Who is defined as the supervisor of that team;
• Whether there has been any recent team or leadership change;
• Whether the supervisor who needs to approve is actually responsible for the employee's team.

Example:

• John belongs to the Operations team;
• Mary is the supervisor of the Administrative team;
• Mary will not see John's request for approval as a supervisor because he does not belong to her team;
• To correct this, review the employee's team or the responsible supervisor.

If the supervisor does not have access to change the team or company structure, they must ask the HR team or the responsible administrator to review it.

5. Check the Approval Flow for the request type

The users responsible for approving a request are defined in the Approval Flow section.

To check the configuration:

1. Go to Absence & Vacation;
2. Open Requests Settings;
3. Select the category and request type used by the employee;
4. Locate the Approval Flow section;
5. Check the users configured in the first and subsequent levels;
6. Click Save after making any changes.

When the first level is configured as All supervisors in hierarchy, the request will be directed to the supervisors related to the employee according to the registered team and hierarchy.

If the user who needs to approve is not included in the Approval Flow, they will not be added as a responsible approver simply because they have administrative access or are selected in the Permission roles field.

6. Check whether the responsible user is at the correct approval stage

An Approval Flow can have more than one level.

In this case, the user may be configured as an approver but may not yet be responsible for the current stage of the request.

When reviewing the request, check:

• Which levels have been configured;
• Which level is currently waiting for approval;
• Who is defined as responsible at each stage;
• Whether a previous level still needs to complete its review.

Example:

• The first level consists of supervisors in the hierarchy;
• The second level has another responsible user;
• Until the first stage is completed, the user responsible for the second level may not yet have access to the expected action.

7. Understand the difference between Super Punch and Absence & Vacation

Being able to view an employee in Super Punch does not mean the user will also be able to create or approve their requests.

The screens have different purposes and access rules:

• In Super Punch, the user manages information related to employees' attendance records;
• In Absence & Vacation, the ability to create depends on the Permission roles field;
• The ability to approve depends on the employee's team and the Approval Flow.

Example:

• An administrator can find the employee in Super Punch;
• When accessing Absence & Vacation, the request does not appear or does not show the approval actions;
• In this case, check the filters, the employee's team, and the Approval Flow.

8. Check the super approver option for administrators

When an administrator needs to approve requests without being part of a regular Approval Flow stage, check whether they have access to the super approver feature.

The super approver can be used to complete a request approval without depending on the individual action of every configured level.

This alternative does not replace correcting the team, hierarchy, or Approval Flow when the regular workflow still needs to be used.

If the user is a supervisor without access to this setting, they must contact the HR team or the responsible administrator.

9. What should be corrected when the user cannot create or approve a request?

Review the settings according to the issue identified:

• If the category or subcategory does not appear when creating a request, check the Permission roles field;
• If the employee is assigned to the wrong permission level, update their profile;
• If the correct permission role is not selected in the request type, add it and save the configuration;
• If the employee is in the wrong team, correct the team;
• If the supervisor is not related to the employee's team, correct the responsible supervisor;
• If the correct approver is not in the flow, change the Approval Flow;
• If a permission level was added to the Permission roles field with the intention of allowing approval, configure the responsible user in the Approval Flow instead;
• If an administrator needs to complete the approval outside the regular flow, check the super approver option.

Employees and supervisors without administrative access will not be able to make these changes. In this case, they must forward the request to the HR team or the person responsible for administering the platform.

10. Check again after making the corrections

After adjusting permission roles, the team, the supervisor, or the Approval Flow:

To test request creation

1. Ask the employee or supervisor to access the web platform or app again;
2. Open the Absence Request creation area;
3. Check whether the category or subcategory now appears;
4. Create a request only when the correct option is available.

To test approval

1. Go back to Absence & Vacation;
2. Select a period that includes the request;
3. Search for the employee;
4. Filter pending requests;
5. Check the current stage of the Approval Flow;
6. Verify whether the approval actions are available to the correct responsible user.

Tips and troubleshooting

• The absence category does not appear in the app or web platform: check whether the employee's permission is included in the Permission roles field.
• The option appears for some employees but not for others: compare the permission levels assigned to each one.
• The supervisor cannot create a request for themselves: check whether their permission is included in the category or subcategory.
• I am a supervisor but do not have access to the settings: contact the HR team or the responsible administrator so they can check the permission roles, team, and request configuration.
• HR disabled access for a specific profile: the option will not be displayed until an authorized user changes the configuration.
• The request does not appear: check the period, employee, request type, and applied filters.
• The supervisor can view some employees but not others: confirm that all employees belong to the team they supervise.
• The request appears but cannot be approved: check whether the user is at the current stage of the Approval Flow.
• The user is in the Permission roles field but cannot approve: this field controls who can submit requests, not who can approve them.
• The employee appears in Super Punch but not in Absence & Vacation: review the filters, the employee's team, and the Approval Flow.
• The request remains pending: check whether all levels have valid responsible users and whether a previous stage still needs to be completed.
• The option was restricted by HR: employees and supervisors without administrative access cannot reactivate it directly.

Best practices

• Review the Permission roles field whenever creating or changing a category or subcategory;
• Confirm that employees, supervisors, and other profiles that need to submit requests are included;
• Use the Permission roles field only to define who can create the request;
• Configure approvers in the Approval Flow section;
• Review teams and supervisors whenever the company structure changes;
• Confirm the hierarchy before using All supervisors in hierarchy;
• Avoid adding approval levels without active responsible users;
• Test creation and approval after changing a setting;
• Instruct supervisors and employees to contact HR when they do not have access to the settings;
• Make sure administrators understand the difference between permission to submit and permission to approve.

Frequently asked questions

1. Why can't I create an Absence Request in the app or web platform?

   The permission assigned to your profile may not be included in the Permission roles field for the category or subcategory. Contact HR or an administrator to confirm whether you are authorized to create that type of request.

2. Why does a category appear for some employees but not for others?

   They may have different permission levels. The option will only be displayed to users included in the configuration for that request type.

3. Does the Permission roles field define who can approve requests?

   No. It defines who can create the request. Approvers are configured in the Approval Flow.

4. What is the difference between Permission roles and Approval Flow?

   Permission roles controls who can create the request. The Approval Flow controls who can approve or decline it.

5. Why can't the supervisor view an employee's request?

   Confirm that the employee is in the correct team, that the user is the responsible supervisor, and that they are included in the Approval Flow.

6. Why can I view the employee in Super Punch but cannot find their request?

   Visibility in Super Punch does not guarantee access to requests. Check the filters, the employee's team, and the Approval Flow.

7. Why does the request appear but the approval actions are unavailable?

   The user may not be part of the current Approval Flow stage or may be configured at a later level that has not started yet.

8. How can I tell who needs to approve a request?

   Check the Approval Flow configured for the request type and review the responsible users defined at each level.

9. Can an administrator approve any request?

   Administrative access alone does not necessarily include the user in every Approval Flow. When applicable, check the super approver option.

10. What does All supervisors in hierarchy mean?

It means that the supervisors related to the employee through the team and hierarchy will be used at that Approval Flow level.

11. Why can a supervisor approve requests for some employees but not others?

The employees may belong to different teams. The supervisor can view employees from their own team and must also be included in the Approval Flow.

12. Does changing the Permission roles field fix an approval issue?

No. To correct an approval issue, review the employee's team, the responsible supervisor, and the Approval Flow. The Permission roles field should be changed when the issue is related to creating the request.

13. I am a supervisor and cannot create or approve a request. Can I correct the configuration?

Only if your profile has access to the required settings. Otherwise, contact the HR team or the responsible administrator so they can review your permissions, team, and request configuration.

14. Who should I contact when an absence category does not appear for me?

Contact the HR team or the person responsible for administering the platform at your company. They can confirm whether the category was restricted or whether your profile is linked to the correct permission.