Icon for Request for leave workflow solution

Request for leave

The 'Request for leave' workflow helps you to keep track of your employees' leave applications - approve or deny leave requests, keep an eye on when employees' will return to work, and cancel the leave if necessary.

A step-by-step guide to Request for leave

This guide will explain the 'Request for leave' workflow step by step.
It makes use of numerous screenshots, but if you'd like to follow along in the Kotive webapp, you can sign up and copy the workflow into your account for free.
Keep the workflow open in a separate tab in your browser, and interact with it while reading the steps in this guide.

Section 1: Applying for leave

In this section, an employee submits a leave request, and it's reviewed by their manager.

Leave application

The first part of this form is a paragraph that's titled: !!! IMPORTANT CHANGES you need to make BEFORE running this workflow: This paragraph contains instructions on how to personalize the workflow for you and your company. If you intend to run the workflow, these changes can not be ignored.

Next you'll notice that there is one faded out field. This is called a 'hidden field'. Hidden fields capture information without displaying them to the user and make their information available to other tasks in the workflow.

The workflow starts when an employee fills in this form, detailing their leave request and uploading notes if necessary.
Leave application

Notify applicant

The applicant receives an email confirming that the leave request has been received and will be reviewed. Kotive creates the content of the email by pulling in the employee's information and notes link from the first form.

Let's start by looking at how the email is typed up. There are lots of normal looking text words, but there are also lots of rectangular, shaded in, blocks of text. What's the difference?

Well, the normal text is just that: normal text. There's nothing special about it. But the blocks of text are actually information that is being pulled in from earlier forms. If you click on the text area of the email while in the webapp, you'll see that it changes and suddenly looks like a lot of code with lots of curly brackets { } and numbers. This code (also called dynamic field tags) is what tells these fields of text what they're going to end up saying. When this email gets sent to the employee, it won't look like it does now, it will all be normal text, because the workflow will look at the previous forms and put the information from those forms into this email.
Notify applicant

Notify manager (1)

The manager receives an email detailing the employee's leave request and instructing the manager to review the request in the next task.
Notify manager (1)

Process leave request

The only condition on this form is:

Activate this task when...
'Email' IS '{user.email:{field.value:a14c0f61383f46f1809cf4ede7a95b54}}'

This form can only be viewed by the manager who was chosen by the employee in the original form, 'Leave application'. (The form is specifically only displayed if the person who is logged in has the same email address as the manager who was chosen in the first form.)

The form displays the employee's leave request, and the manager approves or denies the request. Based on the manager's decision, there are three emails that might get sent in the next step. These are the 'Approved notification', 'Denied notification' and 'Notify HR' email tasks.
Process leave request


Section 2: Sending out notifications

The employee is notified if their request has been approved or denied. If approved, HR receives an email notifying them of the leave request.

Denied notification

The only condition on this email is:

Activate this task when...
'Manager: Approve or deny' IS 'Deny leave'

This email is only sent if the manager denied the leave request in the previous form task.

The employee receives an email notifying them that their leave request has been denied.

If the manager denied the leave request, then this is the last task to be activated, and the 'Request for leave' workflow is complete.
Denied notification

Approved notification

The only condition on this email is:

Activate this task when...
'Manager: Approve or deny' IS 'Approve leave'

This email is only sent if the manager approved the leave request in the 'Process leave request' form task.

The employee receives an email notifying them that their leave request has been approved.
Approved notification

Notify HR

This email task has the same condition as the previous email task.

Activate this task when...
'Manager: Approve or deny' IS 'Approve leave'

This email is only sent if the manager approved the leave request in the 'Process leave request' form task.


HR receives an email notifying them of the new leave request. A link at the bottom of the email leads them to the next task.
Notify HR


Section 3: HR reviews the leave

In this section, Human Resources reviews the leave, and the employee and manager are both informed of HR's decision.

HR leave request process

This form task has two conditions:

Activate this task when...
'Role' IS 'Human resources'
AND
'Manager: Approve or deny' IS 'Approve leave'

This form is only displayed to HR if the manager approved the leave in the 'Process leave request' form task.

HR reviews the leave request displayed in the form, and approves or denies the leave. Based on their decision, there are three emails that might get sent in the next step. These are the 'Approved final email', 'Denied final email' and 'Notify manager (2)' email tasks.
HR leave request process

Denied final email

This email task has one condition:

Activate this task when...
'HR: Approve or deny' IS 'Denied'

This email is only sent if HR denied the leave in the previous form task.

The employee receives an email notifying them that their leave request has been denied. The reason for the request denial is pulled in from the previous form task.

If HR denied the leave request, then this is the last task to be activated, and the 'Request for leave' workflow is complete.
Denied final email

Approved final email

This email task has the condition:

Activate this task when...
'HR: Approve or deny' IS 'Approved'

This email is only sent if HR approved the leave in the 'HR leave request process' form task.

The employee receives an email notifying them that their leave request has been approved. The reason for the request approval is pulled in from the 'HR leave request process' form task. A link at the bottom of the email is displayed for the employee to cancel their leave, if they need to.
Approved final email

Notify manager (2)

The manager receives an email notifying them of HR's decision. (The decision is pulled into the email from the 'HR leave request process' form task.) Provided the employee doesn't decide to cancel their leave, the 'Request for leave' workflow is finished as soon as this email and the previous email have both been sent.
Notify manager (2)


Section 4: Canceling the leave

In this section, the employee has the option to cancel their leave, and their manager and HR are both notified.

Cancellation of leave

There are two conditions on this form:

Activate this task when...
'HR: Approve or deny' IS 'Approved'
AND
'Email' IS '{user.email:{field.value:68ac80a180dd4afb9bb1a515df6d9f3d}}'

This form is only displayed if HR approved the leave request in the 'HR leave request process' form. The form can only be viewed by the employee who was selected in the original form, 'Leave application'. (It is specifically only displayed if the person who is logged in has the same email address as the employee who was chosen in the first form.)

A form is displayed with the details of the employee's leave. The employee has the option to select the 'Yes' checkbox, indicating that they'd like to cancel their leave. After filling in a reason for their leave cancellation, they save the form to cancel the leave.
Cancellation of leave

Applicant cancellation email

The employee receives an email confirming that they've canceled their leave.
Applicant cancellation email

HR cancellation notice

HR receives an email notifying them that the employee has canceled their leave.
HR cancellation notice

Manager cancellation notice

The manager receives an email notifying them that the employee has canceled their leave.
Manager cancellation notice

After the three cancellation emails have been sent, the 'Request for leave' workflow is complete. If the employee wishes to change their leave, they will need to begin a new 'Request for leave' workflow after canceling their leave.
Get started now and clone this workflow directly into your Kotive account for free.

The Request for leave workflow is automatically copied into your account when you select it. Want to make one or two changes to fit your situation better? No problem!