--- title: Workflow Steps: Approval slug: workflow-steps-approval createdAt: 2026-09-11T08:15:23.900Z --- An Approval step gates a workflow on human sign-off before downstream steps continue. Use it whenever a workflow needs one or more people to explicitly approve, or reject, before the process moves forward, such as approving a relocation request or reviewing a background check exception. This article covers how to add and configure an Approval step. For guidance on setting the step's delay, filter, and dependencies, see [Configure your Workflow Steps](docId:58jSO5IfDvlsM2Ld-Bb7p). :::hint{type="warning"} Ashby's **People Ops** module is currently available through restricted early access. The following documentation is provided for design partners participating in that program. ::: # Permissions and access To add an Approval step, you need view and edit access to the workflow. Your permission set grants this access to either all workflows or specific workflows. :::hint{type="info"} Learn more about Ashby's **People Ops** permission sets: [Configure Permission Sets](docId:7apvU1qei2QWWO4SL6UOI). ::: # Adding an Approval step Navigate to Ashby's **People Ops** module and complete the following steps: 1. Open the workflow, select `Edit Workflow Template`, then select `Add Step` in the appropriate section. 2. Select `Approval` from the step type dropdown. 3. Configure the approvers, approval mode, and message template as described below. 4. Set the step's delay, filter, and dependencies. See [Configure your Workflow Steps](docId:58jSO5IfDvlsM2Ld-Bb7p) for details. 5. Publish your changes. See [Publishing Workflow Updates](docId:2FhDHLP6NBxYng5UXlpSE) for details. ![Screenshot of the workflow step picker showing the Approval step option](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/0p8tQ--ZZOxRtkVp6Qr-e/jDzyE3mxuxMcq1H9D1Z6B_screenshot2026-08-12at54433pm.png) # Configuring the Approval step ## Approvers Add one or more approvers to the step. Approvers can be specific employees or user accounts, or a workflow role. ## Approvals required If multiple approvers are configured, set the `Approval Mode` to control how many approvers need to weigh in before the step completes: - **Any one approver:** The first approver to approve completes the step. - **All approvers:** Every assignee must approve for the step to complete. A rejection from any assignee completes the step immediately as rejected, regardless of approval mode. Ashby tracks each assignee's individual decision, so you have a clear audit trail of who approved or rejected the step and when. ![Screenshot of the Approval Mode field showing the Any one approver and All approvers options](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/0p8tQ--ZZOxRtkVp6Qr-e/DrojA5Vj56kaEGCi2aKMi_screenshot2026-08-12at60252pm.png) ## Notify immediately `Notify Immediately?` controls whether the approver gets a standalone notification the moment the step is assigned, or whether it's added silently to their task list. - **Enabled:** The assignee receives a notification with a hyperlink directing the user to the approval step within Ashby People Ops as soon as the step's delay and dependencies are met. - **Disabled:** The task appears on the assignee's task list right away, and the assignee also receives it in the weekly People Ops digest email, sent every Wednesday, along with any other outstanding tasks. Enable `Notify Immediately?` for assignees who receive relatively few tasks and aren't otherwise monitoring their task list, such as hiring managers or IT team members. Consider leaving it disabled for assignees like People Ops Coordinators, who may receive many tasks across every employee and don't need an individual notification for each one. If several tasks land on the same assignee at once, consider sending one email or Slack message directing them to their [task list](https://app.ashbyhq.com/people-ops/home/tasks) instead of notifying them for every individual task. :::hint{type="info"} When `Notify Immediately?` is enabled, you can choose whether the notification delivers by email, Slack (and SMS, where enabled for your organization). When it's disabled, the task only appears on the task list and in the weekly digest, so a delivery channel isn't applicable. ::: ## Due date Set a due date relative to a reference point, such as the new hire's start date. The due date is primarily for visibility, helping you identify overdue tasks in reporting and on the task list. ## Message template The **Title** becomes the subject line if the task is delivered by email, or the task name shown on the assignee's task list. Use **Instructions** to describe exactly what the assignee needs to approve, and include tokens to pull in relevant details, such as the new hire's name, team, or shipping address collected earlier in the workflow. The email editor supports the following features: - Text formatting - Code lines and blocks - Numbered and bulleted lists - Hyperlinks - Substitution tokens - Write with AI (more on this at [AI Content Assistant](docId\:gVifM7N4yBa4cYPjJxx4Q)) ![Screenshot of the Approval step configuration panel](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/0p8tQ--ZZOxRtkVp6Qr-e/ebKM93SAv6_6Qkxuk_IIE_screenshot2026-08-12at60236pm.png) ### Add substitution tokens Substitution Tokens allow you to pull information about the workflow enrollee into the title and instructions. To add substitution tokens, click the `T` icon in the toolbar either by the title line or in the toolbar under the body of the instructions. From here, you can search for the specific token you need. ![Screenshot showing the T icon in the message template toolbar for adding substitution tokens](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/0p8tQ--ZZOxRtkVp6Qr-e/bOnfVi6bm78vkPTljGed7_screenshot2026-08-12at72712pm.png) # Using the approval result elsewhere in your workflow An Approval step behaves similarly to a Task step in that an assignee marks it complete, except the completion outcome is either **Approved** or **Rejected** rather than a simple checkbox. You can use that outcome as a dependency condition on a later step, for example, triggering a follow-up notification only if the request is approved, the same way you would build a condition against an integration or assessment result. ![Screenshot showing how to set the Approval step as a dependency condition on a later step](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/0p8tQ--ZZOxRtkVp6Qr-e/XUnlAlvbUyNX_uqT6JjAd_screenshot2026-08-12at60853pm.png) ![Screenshot of the approval outcome condition builder](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/0p8tQ--ZZOxRtkVp6Qr-e/qXnmlYNluAA0G1VuAza5__screenshot2026-08-12at60905pm.png) # FAQs ### Can I use the outcome of an Approval step to control what happens next in the workflow? Yes. Add the Approval step as a dependency on a later step, and build a condition on the approval outcome, similar to how you'd build a condition on an assessment result.