Headcount Approval Process Flowchart

Use this process flowchart to organise your approval workflows. Typically this would be owned by Recruiting Operations.

Why use the Headcount Approval Process Flowchart

This Headcount Approval Process Flowchart is designed to assist HR teams and managers in navigating the process of headcount approval within an organization. It helps teams streamline the headcount approval process, ensuring that all necessary steps are followed and approvals are obtained in a timely manner. By using this flowchart, HR teams and managers can effectively manage the hiring process, from initial role approval to final recruitment.

How to use the flowchart

To get the most of this template for you and your team, follow these step-by-step instructions:

1. Customize the first row of boxes entitled "Stage." These indicate the stages of the headcount approval process. Tailor them to represent your organization’s headcount approval steps. 

2. Describe the stage in the “What does this mean?” box below each.

3. Next, find the "Hiring Manager" box. This represents the individual responsible for initiating the headcount approval process. This is typically where you’ll start building out the flowchart, since typically the hiring manager kicks off the process, though you can begin your flowchart in any of the rows indicated on the chart.

3. Continue following the flowchart by selecting the appropriate boxes based on the current stage of the process. Each box represents a specific action or decision point.

4. Read the text within each box to understand the actions or decisions required at that stage.

5. Follow the arrows connecting the boxes to progress through the flowchart. The arrows indicate the logical sequence of actions and decisions. Add flowchart steps in by creating new shapes and arrows as needed to accurately represent your process.

7. Repeat steps 3-6 until you reach the end of the flowchart, which signifies the completion of the headcount approval process.

Key steps in the headcount approval process

To provide a clearer understanding of the flowchart, below are some key steps involved in the headcount approval process. These can be edited and adapted to your processes within the template:

1. Role approval: Determine whether the role has been approved in the budget. If it is an approved role, proceed to the next stage. If it is a non-approved role, follow the process for requesting a brand new role.

2. Recruiting kick-off: Initiate the recruiting process by notifying the recruitment team and reviewing/finishing the Kick-off (KO) document with the recruiting team.

3. Role approval confirmation: Confirm if the role is approved with a PID (Project Identification Number), or other identifying numbers used by your systems. If not, the Hiring Manager (HM) flags the KO document to the leadership team member to obtain approval.

4. Finance approval: Ensure that the role is approved by Finance. If not, the role may be placed on hold/pause.

5. Kick-off call: Send the KO document to the HM and schedule a kick-off call. Open the role in your company’s HR platform/system and attach the KO document(s).

6. Interview team preparation: Schedule a KO call with the interview team and review the role and expectations with them.

7. Recruiting process: Begin the recruiting process by posting the job online.

8. Stream lead involvement: Involve additional leadership and stakeholders throughout the process as needed.

9. KO approval: Note that this step does not apply to evergreen roles.