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Rota Publish Approvals

Learn how to request, review, and approve rota publishing when validation errors block publishing, including setup and approval workflows.

What’s covered in this guide

What are Rota Publish Approvals?

Normally, if a rota has validation errors, it can’t be published.

With Rota Publish Approvals:

  • You can request approval to publish anyway

  • An approver can review the issues

  • The rota is published once approved

This helps teams handle exceptions while keeping control and visibility.

Request approval to publish a rota

To request approval:

  1. Navigate to the Rota you want to publish

  2. Click Publish

  3. If there are blocking validations, click Request Review

  4. Your request will be submitted for approval

Once submitted:

  • The publish window will close

  • The request is sent to the configured approvers

Important to note: If you don’t see the Request Review button, your role may not have permission to request approvals.

Approve a rota publish request

To review requests:

  1. Go to Time & Attendance

  2. Click Rota Publish Requests

  3. Open a request

You’ll be able to:

  • See the schedules included in the request

  • View any validation errors

  • See updates if changes are made before approval

You can then:

  • Approve the request

  • Reject the request

What happens after approval?

If the request is approved:

  • The rota is published automatically

  • Employees receive shift notifications

For multi-stage approvals:

  • The rota is only published after the final approval step

Important to note: A snapshot of the schedules and validation errors is saved for audit purposes when the request is actioned.

The schedules themselves are still editable. If changes are made after approval:

  • The rota will become unpublished again

  • It may need to go through the approval process again

Set up Rota Publish Approvals

To enable this feature:

  1. Go to Settings > All Settings > Rota

  2. Enable Approval of rota to be published despite 'blocking' validations

  3. Configure your approval process

You can:

  • Set up one or multiple approval stages

  • Assign approvers

  • Control who can submit requests

FAQs and troubleshooting

Why don’t I see the “Request Review” button?

This usually means your role isn’t set up to request approvals. An admin will need to check the approval process and make sure your role is included as a submitter.

Why can’t I approve a request?

Only users assigned as approvers in the approval process can approve or reject requests. If you can’t approve, you’re likely not included in that process.

What happens if a request is rejected?

The rota will stay unpublished. You’ll need to fix the validation errors or submit a new approval request.

Can I make changes after requesting approval?

Yes, any changes you make to the rota will update in real time for approvers while the request is still pending.

Why did the rota publish automatically?

Once the final approver approves the request, the roster is automatically published and employees are notified.

Can I cancel or edit a request after submitting it?

No, once a request is submitted, it can’t be edited. If something changes, you’ll need to submit a new request.

Understanding Schedule (Rota) Validations
Get Started: Schedules

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