Overtime Approval Workflows: From Request to Paid Hours

Unapproved overtime slowly eats into the payroll budget. If every extra hour an employee logs turns into pay automatically, costs go up without anyone deciding they should. The fix is a workflow where approval comes before payment.

With an approval step, overtime happens because someone agreed to it, not by accident.

Building the approval path

A sound overtime workflow captures the request, routes it to the right approver, and only counts authorised hours toward pay. Hours worked without approval are visible but not automatically paid, which keeps the decision with management.

• Capture overtime requests with hours and reason.
• Route to the appropriate manager for approval.
• Pay only the hours that were authorised.
• Keep a record of who approved what and when.

Control without friction

The point is control, not paperwork. A good workflow takes a manager a few seconds to action and shows them overtime trends, so they can manage the cost before it gets out of hand. When approval connects to payroll, approved overtime flows straight to the payslip with no double entry.

Zaffre HRM, part of Zaffre Axon, routes overtime through approval and pays only authorised hours, with the full approval trail retained for audit, so overtime cost stays controlled and accountable.

Take control of overtime spend. Book a demo to see the workflow.