This article explains how to route employees' salary changes through approval. While the process is on, the salary cannot be changed directly on the employee card; a salary change request is created first, and when it is approved the new wage is written to the employee's wage records. Users who switch the setting and manage all requests on the screen need the COMPENSATION_MANAGE permission. An approver in the chain only needs COMPENSATION_BASIC: on the tab they see the requests waiting on their step, the ones they already approved or rejected and the ones they opened.
Before you start
Define approvers per department on Configuration > Compensation management > Approval process: Salary change (Approval Process).
For an employee in a department without an approval process, only a user with COMPENSATION_MANAGE can create the request; it is then approved as soon as it is created.
Step by step: turn on the process
In the left menu, go to Pay and expenses > Compensation.
Switch to the Salary Change tab.
Turn on Salary change approval process next to the tab header.
While the switch is off, the tab says "Approval process for salary changes is not enabled" and wages are added and edited directly in the Wage section of the employee card.
Step by step: create a request
On the Salary Change tab, click Create Salary Change at the top right. A request can also be opened with Create Salary Change Request in the Wage section of the employee card.
Fill in the New Request window. Employee, Wage Change Date, Currency, Wage, Wage Period and Net/Gross? are required. You can also fill in Wage Change Reason, Minimum Wage, Number of children, Co-Working Status and IBAN.
Click Save and Send for Approval.
You cannot open a request for your own salary (unless you have COMPENSATION_MANAGE).
Step by step: approve or reject a request
On the Salary Change tab, open the Salary Change Requests table. You can open Approval Process in the status tabs above the table; the search box searches the employee name, and Sort or a click on a column header sorts the list. As an approver with COMPENSATION_BASIC you see only the requests that concern you.
Choose Approve/Reject from the ⋮ menu of a request where it is your turn to approve.
Check the details in the Salary Change Approval window and click Approve or Reject.
Changing the amount of a pending request (Edit) needs COMPENSATION_MANAGE. Approving or rejecting a request that is not in the approval process also needs this permission.
Result
The request passes through every approver in the chain; the number in front of the status in the table shows the step.
After the last approval the status becomes Approved and a new record is added to the employee's wage records. The record starts on the Wage Change Date of the request; the employee's wage record valid until then ends on this date. Payroll uses the new wage from this date.
A rejected request gets the Rejected status; the wage records do not change.
An approved request cannot be changed or deleted. A user with COMPENSATION_BASIC can change only a request they opened that has not gone to approval or was rejected.
These steps send no email or notification.
On a phone and on narrow screens where the table does not fit, the same list opens as cards; the row actions are in the ⋯ menu at the top right of each card.
Common problems
Symptom: The Salary Change tab cannot be clicked.
Cause: The tab needs COMPENSATION_MANAGE or COMPENSATION_BASIC.
Solution: Get the permission on the Responsibility Management screen. COMPENSATION_BASIC is enough for an approver.
Symptom: An approver does not see a request that is waiting on their step.
Cause: The approver has neither COMPENSATION_BASIC nor COMPENSATION_MANAGE, or the request is still on an earlier step.
Solution: Give the approver COMPENSATION_BASIC; check the step with the number in the status column.
Symptom: A warning says that no salary change approval process is defined for the employee's department.
Cause: No Salary Change approval process is defined for the employee's department and you do not have COMPENSATION_MANAGE.
Solution: Define the approval process or ask the compensation owner to open the request.
Symptom: The edit and delete buttons for wages are missing on the employee card.
Cause: The salary change approval process is on.
Solution: Open a request with Create Salary Change Request.