Purpose
This job aid explains the general process of Approving in Workday. Approvers are guided through reviewing and approving transactions in Workday to ensure accuracy, compliance, and timely processing. The Approving process involves checking your Inbox for pending tasks via inbox icon, reviewing the details to confirm accuracy, and then selecting Approve, Deny, or Send Back to complete the action.
When to Use
Use this process when you need to Approve:
- Time entries
- Time and absence requests
- Hiring and job changes
- Job changes and compensation actions
- Personal information changes
- Requisitions and purchases
- Creation of lessons, course and campaigns
Steps
From the Workday Home page:
- Click the Inbox icon on the upper right of the home page.
- Your Inbox displays all pending tasks requiring action.
- Select the task you want to review from the All Items list.
- Find tasks quickly using Title Search.
- The transaction details will open to the right of the All Items list.
- Review all provided information carefully, including:
- Employee or requestor details
- Dates, amounts, and job information
- Transaction information
- Course or lesson information
- Attachments and supporting documentation
- Enter comments to clarify your decision, especially when sending back or denying a request.
- Choose one of the following options:
- Approve – Confirms the request and routes it to the next step or completes the process.
- Send Back – Returns the request to the initiator for correction.
- Deny – Rejects the request entirely.
- Cancel (if available) – Stops the transaction.
- Click the More icon (…) to view additional actions not displayed.
- The task will be removed from your Inbox.
Notes & Tips
- Review all attachments before approving; approvals are auditable.
- Use Send Back instead of Deny when corrections are needed.
- Some transactions cannot be edited after approval.
- Enable Workday notifications to avoid delays.