Microsoft 365 subscribers who have a Frontline worker (F1) license and above can now access a new add-in for the Word app that should make it easier for them to create and manage approval requests for those workers.
In a post on the Microsoft 365 Insider blog, Microsoft stated there was already an Approvals app made for Teams, but any approvals made via the app could not be attached to a Word file. This new add-in for Word solves that issue. Microsoft stated:
By bringing the Approval add-in to Word, you now have a direct entry point to create approval requests for a specific document you’re working on. This Add-in also allows you to see all approval requests that took place over time in a specific document. As an approver, you can also respond to the request right in the Word document, rather than needing to go to the Approvals app in Microsoft Teams.
Microsoft 365 F1 and above subscribers can access the new Approvals add-in for Word by opening the app and then selecting the Home option. They can then access the Add-ins selection, and after that, they can type in Approvals and then select it to grab the add-in.
Once the add-in is installed, Word users who want to add a new approval request can then click on the New approval request button in the Approvals pane, as seen above. After that, users can create a basic approval request or use one from a previously created template. They can then fill out the details of the approval request and finally click the Send button.
If you are using Word to respond to an approval request from someone else, the add-in will let you see that request in the Approval history section. You then have the option of clicking either the Approve or Reject button. If you do hit the Reject option, the add-in will let you type in additional comments on why you rejected the request.