From WhatsApp to Workflows

Moving HR Approvals into Your HRMS Without Losing Speed

Jessica Calaoagan

December 02, 2025 | 8-mins read

If‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ you are running or managing a small or medium-sized enterprise in the UAE, there is a very high probability that your HR-related approvals are still being sent from one party to another through WhatsApp messages, Excel sheets, PDFs, and even verbally. To be honest, it is not shocking at all—WhatsApp still seems to be quick, comfortable, and user-friendly. Managers reply without delay, employees get instant notifications, and there is no waiting time for the progress of work to go on.

However, being fast does not necessarily mean being efficient. Approvals that are made through WhatsApp have several hidden problems, such as the lack of audit trails, lost chats, absence of a central location for data, risks of non-compliance, mistakes in approvals, and total dependence on individual managers being online. As organizations expand, these “quick fixes” dismantle the pace of their work, slowing it down.

It is about time HRMS-driven approvals came to the rescue – especially by means of such mechanisms as WorkPlus, which allows businesses to transition from scattered messages to structured workflows at the same pace the users keep.

The present article is dedicated to reading how SMEs can move their approval processes from WhatsApp/Excel to a contemporary HRMS without losing their ability to be promptly responsive and ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌flexible.

1. Why WhatsApp Feels Fast—but Isn’t Sustainable

WhatsApp‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ approvals, for the most part, are visually effective:

Employees simply text their requests
Managers quickly respond
Everyone gets to see the updates live

However, WhatsApp is riddled with problems beneath the surface.

a. Zero Tracking

Want to find out who approved the leave on that day? You will probably have to go through chats one by one yourself.

b. High Error Rates

Approvals that are lost in conversations, forwarded incorrectly, or sent to the wrong chat group are a common situation on WhatsApp.

c. No Integration

Any leave approval done through WhatsApp will not be attended to automatically by the payroll, attendance, or shift planning module.

d. No Accountability

There is no uniform workflow and unambiguous documentation of the actions taken and by whom.

Why do SME issues related to WhatsApp become a big problem as companies have more than 10-20 employees? Excel-based approvals, which are slightly better in terms of organization, still need manual updates, version tracking, and human effort.

This is the reason why digital workflows within an HRMS can bring such a significant ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌change.

2. Why SMEs Fear Moving Away from WhatsApp

Most‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ of the companies that are about to decide whether to incorporate HRMS into their systems are reluctant to do so because they have three main fears highlighted as follows:

1. “It will slow us down.”

There are people who think that the whole process of obtaining approval will be more formal, complicated, and bureaucratic.

2. “My team won’t adopt it.”

Employees and managers are better off with the tools that they know and are simple.

3. “HRMS is difficult and costly.”

There is an idea that HR software is only for big companies.

However, such means as WorkPlus, which are considered to be modern, are designed in a way to be mobile-first, fast, and easy for SMEs—thus providing teams with the same WhatsApp-like quickness but still with structure, clarity, and ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌compliance.

3. How WorkPlus Workflows Preserve Speed While Adding Structure

WorkPlus‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ enables SMEs to transform their regular WhatsApp or Excel approval processes into automated workflows. These workflows replicate the behavior of ‘instant request, instant response’ which SMEs are used to—while making sure that all data is stored in a secure system.

A. Mobile-First Approvals

Employees can submit their requests straight from their mobile phone. Managers get a notification on their mobile—just like WhatsApp. With a single tap, the manager approves immediately. Thereby, no delays occur.

B. Auto-Tracking and Records

The WorkPlus system is designed to keep records of every request, approval, rejection, and timestamp automatically. There is no need to search through chat histories anymore.

C. Real-Time Updates Across HR Modules

The moment an approval is finalized:

Leave updates attendance
Over time, update payroll
Document approvals update employee records

Nothing is held up in the middle; it’s all done instantly behind the scenes.

D. Custom SME-Friendly Workflows

Different scenarios for setting up the approval chain are possible:

Employee → Line Manager
Employee → Manager → HR
Employee → HR → Finance

Small jobs may even have the auto-approval rules set up.

E. Alerts and Reminders

The missed approvals can be reduced to a minimum with the help of push notifications and email reminders, which are much faster than searching through WhatsApp ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌chats.

4. Examples of WhatsApp Approvals You Can Move Into WorkPlus

SMEs‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ usually process many approvals through WhatsApp, such as leave requests, overtime approvals, etc. These can be automated completely:

1. Leave Requests

Leave balances get updated automatically → without any manual work in Excel.

2. Overtime Approvals

Overtime hours are linked directly to payroll.

3. Expense Reimbursements

Workers take pictures of bills and receipts → managers give their green light in a few seconds.

4. Attendance Regularizations

In/Out corrections can be done even if it is a late synchronization.

5. Document Submissions

Visa renewals, passport copies, certificates—whatever is stored in a single place.

6. Shift Swaps and Scheduling Approvals

Perfect for retail, hospitality, clinics, and service centers.

Each‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ of these gets faster, cleaner, and audit-ready in an ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌HRMS.

5. How WorkPlus Matches the Speed of WhatsApp

The‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ main problem that SMEs worry about is that they will lose their speed. Nevertheless, WorkPlus is crafted especially to equal or even surpass WhatsApp’s responsiveness in speed.

It does this in the following ways:

Instant Push Notifications

When an employee sends a request, the manager receives an alert immediately.

Tap-to-Approve Workflow

One tap → request approved. There are no long menus. No forms.

Mobile App Speed

WorkPlus is a mobile-first app and, therefore, is very fast to use; it also consumes minimal data and has an intuitive UI.

No Need for Laptop or Web Browser

All operations are done through the HRMS mobile app—just like WhatsApp.

Smart Reminders

Should a manager fail to see a notification, the system will automatically remind him/her.

So, essentially, the workflow becomes as fast as WhatsApp and also much more ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌dependable.

6. Why This Shift Matters for SMEs in the UAE

Small‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Dubai, as well as the broader United Arab Emirates (UAE), are adopting digital human resource (HR) solutions in order to remain both compliant and competitive. They are faced with VAT regulations, labor law updates, and digital transformation initiatives under which WhatsApp-based approvals are simply not able to scale.

By moving approvals to an HRMS, it is possible to have:

Fewer compliance risks
More accuracy
Employee data that is centralized
instant Reporting
Faster Payroll processing
Better Transparency
Employee trust is improved

For SMEs, these benefits lead to the direct performance and growth of the ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌business.

7. Final Thoughts: Keep the Speed, Lose the Chaos

Transitioning‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ to digital is not about decelerating the pace. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) can achieve the following with WorkPlus workflows: