Handling Approvals When a Team Member Is Away


If a team member responsible for approving purchase orders is on vacation or temporarily unavailable, you have three options to ensure approvals stay on track.

Option 1: Tag Another Approver in Internal Comments

If the first approver is unavailable:

  1. Open the order in question.

  2. Go to the Internal Chat/Comments section.

  3. Tag a teammate (e.g., @Name) who has the authority to approve the order.

This sends them a direct notification and gives them immediate visibility to review and approve, without altering the formal approval structure. Anyone with a higher purchasing limit, regardless of their role in the tree, can approve orders.



Option 2: Temporarily Deactivate the User (Admin Permissions Needed)

If the team member will be unavailable for an extended time:

  1. Navigate to the Users section of the platform.

  2. Find the unavailable user.

  3. Choose Deactivate.

  • The approval tree will automatically adjust based on remaining users.
  • When the original approver returns, simply reactivate them from the same screen.


Option 3: Change the User’s Role to a Lower Purchasing Limit  (Admin Permissions Needed)

If the approver is unavailable and should not be approving POs, you can adjust their purchasing role to a lower limit, ensuring they will not hold up approvals.

  1. Go to the Users Page.

  2. Locate the unavailable user.

  3. Assign them a different role with a lower purchasing limit or limited approval authority.

  4. The system will automatically move them down the purchasing tree, allowing approvals to escalate to the next available user.



Pro Tips:

  • Communicate changes with your team so everyone is aware of temporary responsibilities.

  • Proactively tag a backup approver when someone’s away to keep orders moving.

Need help?

Reach out to our Customer Support team: