Escalation timeout

If the current approver has not decided within this many hours, the request escalates: the team member chosen in Escalate to can decide on it too. If that field is empty, the request is only marked "Escalated" and the decision stays with the original approvers.

The two fields sit next to each other in the policy editor:

• Escalation (hours) – the request escalates after this long. New policies start at 24 hours; clear it for no escalation.
• Escalate to – a team member who can decide on the request once it has escalated.

The clock restarts per step: when the request moves to the next step or is sent back, the hours are counted again.

After escalation the original approvers can still decide; the escalation person gets the right to decide alongside them. If reminders are on, they go to that person after escalation. Escalation can also start an automation.

Overdue requests are checked every fifteen minutes, so escalation can lag by a few minutes. If the policy forbids self-approval, the submitter cannot decide their own request even as the escalation person.