Overview #
The External Manager feature allows organisations to give approved third-party users limited access to HRSimplified so they can participate in selected approval workflows.
This feature is particularly useful for organisations whose employees are placed at customer sites, where a client representative is required to approve employee requests without having full access to the employee’s HR information.
External Managers are designed specifically for approval workflows and do not replace an Employee Manager within HRSimplified.
What Can an External Manager Do? #
An External Manager has access to a limited set of functionality within HRSimplified.
They can:
- Approve or reject Leave Applications
- Approve or reject Expense Claims
- Approve or reject Employee Requests
They cannot:
- Submit applications
- View employee records
- Edit employee information
- Access reports
- Access HR Administration
- Access Performance Management
- Access Asset Management
- Access Recruitment
- Access Surveys
- Access any other HR modules
This ensures external users only have access to the workflows they are responsible for.
Creating an External Manager #
Navigate to:
HR Administration → External Managers
Click + Add External Manager.
Complete the required information:
- First Name
- Surname
- Position
- Cell Number
- Email Address
If Generate User Login is enabled, simply enter the required Username.
Unlike employees, no Employee Role or Employment Information is required.
Select Create to save the External Manager.
User Activation #
Once the External Manager has been created:
- A secure user account is automatically generated.
- An invitation email is sent to the user’s email address.
- The user receives instructions to create their password and log in to HRSimplified.
No additional user setup is required.
Assigning Employees #
After creating the External Manager, they can be assigned as the External Manager for outsourced employees.
Navigate to the employee’s profile.
Locate the Employee Manager field.
Select the required External Manager from the available list.
Once assigned, approval requests submitted by that employee will be routed to the assigned External Manager for the supported workflows.
What Does the External Manager See? #
When an External Manager signs in, they are presented with a simplified version of HRSimplified.
Their navigation is intentionally restricted to only the modules required to perform approvals.
The available menus include:
- Claims
- Leave
- Employee Requests
The default landing page is the Leave Calendar, providing quick visibility of employee leave and pending approvals.
This simplified interface allows External Managers to perform approvals quickly while preventing access to confidential employee information.
Important Notes #
The External Manager role is intended only for approving workflow requests.
It does not provide management access to employees.
If an external person needs access to additional HR functionality, such as:
- Performance Management
- Asset Management
- Training
- Recruitment
- Employee Records
- HR Administration
- Any other HR module
they must be created as a full Employee Manager within HRSimplified.
Subscription #
The External Manager role is offered at a reduced cost compared to a full employee licence because it provides access to a limited set of approval workflows only.
For current pricing and licence information, please contact HRSimplified or refer to your subscription pricing schedule.
Best Practice #
Use the External Manager role only where a third-party representative needs to approve requests submitted by employees working under their supervision.
Where a person requires broader HR management functionality or access to employee information, they should be created as a full employee user with the appropriate security permissions.
