How to assign workflow substitutes to a user?

This article covers how an administrator assigns approved workflow substitutes to a user account. Once configured, the user can enable or disable those substitutes from their own My Substitutions screen when they are on holiday, on leave, or otherwise unavailable.

Workflow substitution (sometimes called approval delegation or holiday cover) is set up in two places: administrators configure approved substitutes on the Workflow Substitution screen, and end users can activate cover from their My Substitutions screen. This article covers the administrator side only.

For the end-user steps, see 'How to assign someone to approve my documents while I am on holiday or leave'.

Assigning workflow substitutes from the Workflow Substitution screen

Approved substitutes are configured against each user account on the Workflow Substitution screen. You can assign one or more substitutes per user, and the same substitute can cover multiple users.

1. Navigate to Workflow Substitution
2. Select the user or users you want to configure substitutes for
3. Select 'Assign Substitute(s)', or select 'New Substitution' if no substitutions exist for the user yet
4. For a new substitution, select the user and the specific workflow or workflows the substitution should apply to
5. Add one or more approved substitutes against the user
6. Select 'Apply' and save the changes.

The approved substitutes will now appear on the user's My Substitutions screen, where they can enable or disable cover as needed. This can also be enabled by the admin from this screen by highlighting the substitution line and clicking enable.

How approved substitutes flow through to the end user

Once approved substitutes are saved against a user, the user controls when the substitution is active.

• The user sees every approved substitute you have configured on their My Substitutions screen
• The user enables cover for a defined period by selecting a substitute and setting start and end dates
• Approvals route to the substitute only while the substitution is enabled and within the date range
• Outside that range, approvals route to the original user as normal.

Substitutions do not take effect automatically when configured – the admin/end user must enable them. Confirm with the user that they have activated cover before they go on leave.

Best practice when assigning substitutes

A small amount of upfront configuration makes substitution far more flexible during absences.

• Assign multiple approved substitutes per user where possible
• Match substitutes to the workflows they are qualified to approve – substitution does not override approval limits or seniority requirements
• Review approved substitutes periodically, particularly after leavers, role changes, or workflow restructures.