---
title: Global settings, deadlines and automatic actions
description: "Set the rules shared by every circuit, what happens when an approver does not answer, and each module's Illizeo workflows."
url: "https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/workflows-global-settings/"
updated: "2026-11-05"
category: "Platform / Flows & approvals"
---

# Global settings, deadlines and automatic actions

The **Global settings** tab of **Settings › Manage Employees › Workflows** gathers the rules that apply to every circuit, the automatic actions when an approver does not answer, and the switches of each module's Illizeo workflows. This article is for administrators.

## Before you start

- Reading the tab requires "Settings — Approval settings" at the **Access** level (default: Administrator, Payroll Manager, HR Manager, Auditor).
- Changing a setting requires "Settings — Edit workflow" at the **Execute** level (default: Administrator). Payroll settings also require the matching payroll permissions; a setting you cannot change is shown without a checkbox.
- Every change is saved straight away. The **Last modified** line shows who changed a setting last, and when.

## What the tab contains

1. A banner reminds you that each toggle controls an Illizeo preset workflow.
2. The **No-action behavior** cards, one for Absences, the other for Expense reports.
3. The **Approval circuits** group, shared by every circuit.
4. One group per activated module: Payroll, Absence management, Attendance management, Performance, Documents, Electronic signatures, Offboarding. The settings of a module that is not activated are not shown.

## Rules shared by every circuit

| Setting | Choices | Effect |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Do not ask the same approver twice | Checkbox, off by default | When a later step designates someone who has already approved the request, the step is passed instead of being sent back to them. Without this setting, the same person approves every step they appear in. |
| Approver without the right to decide | **Move on to the next step** (default) or **Block the step** | An approver who lacks the right to decide (approval permission of the module, approval category, population covering the employee) never receives the request. With the first choice, their step moves on to the next one; if there is none, the request waits without an approver until an administrator unblocks it. With the second, the step stays on hold and nobody is notified. |
| Step with several approvers | **The first one to decide is enough** (default) or **All must approve** | When a step designates several approvers. With the first choice, the others are released as soon as one of them decides. The rule is set on each request when it is created: changing it only applies to new requests. |

![The Global settings tab, Approval circuits group: the Do not ask the same approver twice checkbox and the Approver without the right to decide (Move on to the next step) and Step with several approvers (The first one to decide is enough) lists](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/workflows-global-settings-01.en_.png?resize=800%2C224&quality=80&ssl=1)
The rules shared by every approval circuit.

## When an approver does not answer

### The No-action behavior card

1. Turn the card on with its switch (**Enabled** / **Disabled**).
2. Choose the **Trigger delay**: 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 21 or 30 days.
3. Choose the **Default action** once this delay has passed without an answer: **Auto approval**, **Auto rejection**, **Escalate to manager** (the request goes to the approver's manager) or **No action** (the request stays pending).
4. Under **Additional options**, **Escalate to N+1 before the final action** first passes the request to the approver's manager, after the number of days chosen in **Escalate after**.
5. The **Behavior summary** recaps the sequence.

The **Absences** card applies to absence requests and to the requests of every other workflow. The **Expense reports** card applies to expense reports and per diems; it also offers **Reassignment to N+1** (see [Approving expense reports](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/expenses-approve/)).

When a request is decided automatically, the requester always receives an email and a notification saying so, with the rule applied; this cannot be turned off. The request history keeps a trace of each automatic action.

![The No-action behavior — Absences card, disabled: switch and link to the “Absence request to approve” reminder email template](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/workflows-global-settings-02.en_.png?resize=800%2C65&quality=80&ssl=1)
The no-action card, disabled: its switch turns it on.

### The deadlines of a step

On an approval step (see [Creating and editing a workflow](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/workflows-create-and-edit/)), three fields set the behaviour for that step only:

| Field | Effect |
| --- | --- |
| Response time | From 12 hours to 7 days. It replaces the card's delay for this step and feeds the **Time left** shown on the request. |
| Action if no response | **Use global setting** (the card's action), **Auto-approval**, **Auto-rejection**, **Escalate N+1**, **Reassign** (to another member of the role, for a "Role member" step) or **No action**. |
| Escalate N+1 (days) | The delay before escalation to the manager, when the card's **Escalate to N+1 before the final action** option is ticked. |

These fields only take effect if the **No-action behavior — Absences** card is enabled: it is the card that starts the automatic actions of workflows. An escalation happens only once per request, and only to a manager who has the right to decide.

### Reminders

Reminders sent to the approver before this delay are set on the email template they receive, Reminder block: "Demande d'absence à valider" for absences, "Note de frais à approuver" for expense reports (template names are shown in French in every language), in **Settings › Manage Illizeo › Email** (see [Emails](https://illizeo.com/en/docs-category/platform-en/platform-emails/)). The link on the card takes you straight there.

## Each module's Illizeo workflows

In the module groups, each toggle activates or deactivates an Illizeo preset workflow (**Preset** badge, **Active** or **Inactive** state). **Customise** opens this workflow in the editor, in place of the tab; **Close** takes you back. Without the right to edit, the button becomes **View**.

The details of these settings are in the module articles: [absences](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/absences-approve/), [performance](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/performance-administer/), [attendance](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/attendance-approval-and-team-view/).

![The module groups of the Global settings tab, including Absence management: each setting with its checkbox, its Active or Inactive state, the Preset badge and the Customise button](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/workflows-global-settings-03.en_.png?resize=800%2C457&quality=80&ssl=1)
Each module's Illizeo workflows, to activate or customise.

## Good to know

- A request stopped on a "Wait" step of an HR process is neither reminded nor decided automatically: nobody has a decision to make.
- An automatic decision is attributed to nobody: the history and the metrics count it as automatic.
- The **Step with several approvers** setting and the step deadlines are fixed on the request when it starts.

## FAQ

### I set a 24-hour response time on a step, but nothing happens.

Check that the **No-action behavior — Absences** card is enabled and that the action chosen is not "No action".

### Does an automatically approved request appear in the metrics?

Yes, under **Auto-approved**, outside the approval rates (see [Monitoring workflow activity: overview and metrics](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/workflows-monitoring-and-metrics/)).

### *Similaire*