Skip to main content
English (Canada) English (United Kingdom) English (Malaysia) English (New Zealand) English (Singapore)

Review the approval history and reverse approval of a custom form response

Updated

Available for the following plans: Plus, Unlimited HR, Engage, Elite, Unlimited HR+Payroll
Available for the following HR plans: Premium, Platinum
Available for the following User Access levels: Admin, Owner, View Custom Forms permission, Create/Edit Custom Forms permission

The Approval History feature provides a transparent audit trail for every action taken on a custom form response. By accessing this chronological log, you can see exactly who submitted, reviewed, approved, declined, or reversed a submission. This ensures your custom forms serve as a reliable, compliance-grade feature for your organisation.

You can also revoke approval 

This article will show you how to manage the following:

Review the approval history of a form response

Access the chronological audit log
  1. Log in to Employment Hero.
  2. Click the Compliance icon on the left-hand side menu.
  3. Click on Custom Forms.
  4. On the form's tile whose approvals you wish to view, click on the 3 dots.
  5. Click on Manage Form.
  6. Click the Responses tab.
  7. Click the Approval History tab.
  8. View the Summary at the top of the tab, which includes:
    • Requested by: The name of the person who submitted the form.
    • Submitted on: The exact date and time of the submission.
  9. Scroll to the Timeline block below the summary to see all events in chronological order. Each entry displays:
    • The actor's name.
    • The action taken (e.g., submitted, sent for approval, approved, declined, or reversed).
    • The date and time of the action.
    • The reason provided (this is visible only for declined or reversed decision entries).

Helpful Hint

The Approval History tab is shown as soon as a submission has been made and approvals have been sent out to at least one approver. You can access this trail even if the overall status of the response is still Pending. Submitted forms who do not have an approval workflow will not display an Approval History tab.

Understand timeline events and milestone badges

Identify different event types and markers

The timeline uses specific milestone badges and text formats to help you identify the progress of a submission:

  • Submission event: "Submitted by X on [date]", marked with a Submitted milestone badge.
  • Routing events: "Sent for approval to X on [date]", showing each approver notified by the platform.
  • Decision events: Records human actions, appearing as "Approved by X on [date]" or "Declined by X on [date]".
  • Reversal events: Appear as "Approval reversed by X on [date] at [time] ([timezone]). Reason: [reason text]".
  • Final milestone badge: A Fully Approved or Fully Declined tag appears at the end of the timeline alongside the final decision event.

Helpful Hint

Approved entries do not show a reason, whereas declined and reversed entries will always display the reason text provided by the actor.

Reverse an approval

Sometimes an approval is made by mistake — maybe the wrong submission was approved, or it was approved before being fully reviewed. With the Reverse Approval feature, authorised users can undo an approval on a custom form submission directly within Employment Hero, without needing to handle the correction outside the platform.

When an approval is reversed:

  • The submission status changes to Declined, and any remaining pending approvals are cancelled.
  • A mandatory reason for the reversal is recorded in the approval history, so there is always a clear audit trail.
  • The submitter is automatically notified by email and mobile push notification, including the reason provided.
  • The original approver is also notified that their approval has been reversed.
Reverse an approval
  1. Log in to Employment Hero.
  2. Click the Compliance icon on the left-hand side menu.
  3. Click on Custom Forms.
  4. Click on Approvals. 
  5. On the form whose approval you would like to revoke, click on the 3 dots. 
  6. Click on View form. 
  7. Click on Approval History. 
  8. Click on Reverse Approval.
  9. Add the reason you are reversing the approval in the text box.
  10. Click on the Reverse Approval button. 

Further information

Why is the Approval History tab not visible?

The tab will not be shown on form responses that have no approval workflow process.

Who can access the Approval History tab?

Access is restricted to authorised users, including HR Admins, Owners, and users with "view custom forms" or "create/edit custom forms" permissions. This ensures sensitive audit data is not visible to unauthorised users.

Explore related content

Powered by Zendesk