Cover for a colleague

Accept or decline when a colleague names you as their relief officer for their leave.

For every employeeUpdated 4 Nov 2026

Before you start

  • Set up leaveHR decides, per leave type, whether the colleague who covers must accept before the supervisor sees the request.
In this article
  1. Steps
  2. What happens next

When colleagues apply for leave they name someone to handle their work while they're away: the relief officer. For some leave types the relief officer must accept first. Only then does the request go to the colleague's supervisor.

Steps

  1. Find the request

    When someone asks you to cover, you get a notification. Open My Portal › My Leaves: a box at the top says A colleague asked you to cover their leave, with their name, leave type and dates. It is also listed under Approvals › Cover requests.

  2. Accept or decline

    • Select Accept, add a note if you like, then Accept cover. You'll handle their work while they're away, and their supervisor reviews the request next.
    • Select Decline, enter a Reason, then Decline. They're told and asked to pick another relief officer.

What happens next

The colleague's request moves to their supervisor (if you accepted) or back to them to choose someone else (if you declined). See Track your leave for what they see.