# WhatsApp in HR

The ready-made templates that tell employees and their managers about expenses, time off and allocations by WhatsApp, and the button that sends an HR letter to every employee.

Fourteen ready-made templates keep employees and approvers informed on WhatsApp: four for Expenses, nine for Time Off, and one that sends an HR letter. Each block of settings appears once its app is installed, and every option is on from the start.

## Ready-made templates {#ready-made-templates}

| Template | When it is sent | To whom | Switched by |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Expense: Submitted** | An expense's status becomes **Submitted** | The expense's **Manager** | **Expense Submitted** |
| **Expense: Approved** | The status becomes **Approved** | The employee | **Expense Approved** |
| **Expense: Refused** | The status becomes **Refused** | The employee | **Expense Refused** |
| **Expense: Paid** | The status becomes **Paid** | The employee | **Expense Paid** |
| **Time Off: Pending Manager Approval** | A time off request is created, or returns to **To Approve** | The employee's **Time Off Approver** | **Leave: Pending Manager** |
| **Time Off: Pending HR Approval** | A request reaches **Second Approval** | The first person in **Notify HR** on the time off type | **Leave: Pending HR** |
| **Time Off: Approved** | A request becomes **Approved** | The employee | **Leave: Approved** |
| **Time Off: Refused** | A request becomes **Refused** | The employee | **Leave: Refused** |
| **Time Off: Cancelled** | A request becomes **Cancelled** | The employee | **Leave: Cancelled** |
| **Time Off: Starts Tomorrow** | About a day before an approved leave begins | The employee | **Leave: Starts Tomorrow** |
| **Allocation: Pending Approval** | An allocation request is created, or returns to **To Approve** | The employee's **Time Off Approver** | **Allocation: Pending Approval** |
| **Allocation: Approved** | An allocation becomes **Approved** | The employee | **Allocation: Approved** |
| **Allocation: Refused** | An allocation becomes **Refused** | The employee | **Allocation: Refused** |
| **HR Letter: Broadcast** | A manager clicks **Send by WhatsApp** on a letter | Every employee the letter is for | No option: only the button sends it |

"The employee" means the phone of the employee's work contact, which is their **Work Phone**; an approver is reached on the phone of their own contact. Anyone without a number is skipped, and a number on the [blacklist](consent-and-blacklist) never receives anything. To change a wording, click the template's name in the settings and edit it as [WhatsApp templates](whatsapp-templates) shows.

## Before you start {#before-you-start}

The blocks sit in **WhatsApp/Configuration/Settings** and need the **Administrator** right on **WhatsApp**. Unticking an option archives its template, so it leaves the template list; ticking it again brings it back. Click **Save** after a change.

## Expenses {#expenses}

![The Automated Expense messages block; all four messages are on, each with its ready-made template.](https://jaah.app/web/image/13498-14258182/whatsapp-whatsapp-in-hr-expense_settings-en.png)

**Automated Expense messages** follows the approval described in [Approve and reimburse expenses](/docs/vendor-bills/approve-and-reimburse-expenses). Each message names the expense and its amount and links to it. An expense paid by the company becomes **Paid** as soon as it is posted, so **Expense: Paid** leaves then too.

Each template says on its form who receives it and when:

![The Expense: Submitted template goes to the phone of the expense's manager.](https://jaah.app/web/image/13502-95dad4a9/whatsapp-whatsapp-in-hr-expense_recipient-en.png)

**Phone Field** follows the expense's **Manager** to the phone of their contact. The **Automation** tab holds the moment it leaves: the status set to **Submitted**.

![The template leaves when an expense's status is set to Submitted.](https://jaah.app/web/image/13506-e9e7983f/whatsapp-whatsapp-in-hr-expense_trigger-en.png)

## Time off {#time-off}

The **Automated Time Off messages** block holds nine options, one per template of the table. Requests and allocations waiting for a decision reach the approver with a link to the record; the employee hears of each decision. **Time Off: Starts Tomorrow** is checked several times a day, and dropped if it cannot leave within twelve hours.

## HR letters {#hr-letters}

On an approved letter in **Employees/Letters**, a user with the **Manager** right on **Letters** sees **Send by WhatsApp** beside **Send by Email** and **Send by Discuss**. It sends **HR Letter: Broadcast** with the letter's PDF attached to every employee when **Send to all** is ticked, otherwise to those in **Employees**, on their **Work Mobile** or else their **Work Phone**. All messages use the language of the letter's user. A notice counts the employees reached and those skipped for lack of a number, and a note in the chatter records the send.

## FAQ {#faq}

### Why did the manager receive nothing when an expense was submitted? {#no-manager}

The manager's contact has no phone number, or no approver was found: submitting then approves the expense at once, and the employee receives **Expense: Approved** instead.

### Can I send a letter twice? {#letter-twice}

Yes. Each click sends to every recipient again.

### Where do I see what was sent? {#follow}

In the WhatsApp messages, as [Follow your messages](follow-your-messages) shows.

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- Source: https://jaah.app/docs/whatsapp/whatsapp-in-hr
- Updated: 2026-10-27
- Version: WhatsApp 19.0.2.3.9
- Verified: 2026-10-27