Step 1: The situation
Jess has worked the floor at a busy hardware store for four years. On Monday she became team leader.
By Wednesday, she's been asked to approve a shift swap, a day off next week and a customer refund above the usual limit.
She knows how the store works. She doesn't yet know which of those decisions are hers.
Fictional exampleStep 2: Why it matters
Say yes to something you can't approve and you may have to go back and undo it. Ask your manager about every small thing and the work starts to back up.
Neither feels great when you're trying to find your feet. A clear agreement helps you make the calls that are yours and get the others to the right person.
Step 3: What to do
Tick each one off as you do it.
Step 4: What to say
“Can we spend 15 minutes going through what I can approve myself? I've listed the things people are already asking me. I'd rather get it clear now than promise something I can't deliver.”
“When you say I can approve swaps, does that mean any swap, or only ones that keep the same hours and skill cover? Who do I check with if you're away?”
“I need to check who's able to approve that. I'll update you by 2 pm.”
Promise an update you can give, even if you're still waiting for a decision.
Step 5: A tool to use
Role-and-authority map
Copy this table and replace the examples with your own decisions. These are possible arrangements, not permission to make those decisions in your workplace.
I decide
within confirmed limits
- Order of daily tasks, within agreed priorities
- Break timing, within required entitlements and coverage
- Routine customer issues, within policy
I check first
before promising approval
- Roster changes, including shift swaps
- Refunds above my authorised limit
- Leave requests, unless approval is delegated to me
Not mine to decide
refer to the right person
- Changes to pay rates
- Hiring or dismissal
- Formal employment complaints outside my role
Under each entry, note the limit, the approver or contact, and what to do if it's urgent.
After checking with her manager, Jess learns she can approve some shift swaps within set conditions. She moves those into "I decide" and records the conditions. Other roster changes still need approval.
Your manager's instructions need to fit workplace policies and applicable requirements. If they conflict or don't make sense, ask for clarification rather than treating a verbal yes as enough.
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Step 6: When to get help
Get the appropriate manager, HR or safety contact involved in pay, contracts, formal complaints or matters beyond your authority.
A safety issue needs prompt action through the workplace safety process. Don't keep unsafe work going while you wait for an approval conversation. Follow emergency procedures where needed.
This map helps with everyday decisions. It doesn't replace those processes.
Step 7: One thing to practise
Arrange the conversation with your manager during your first week, or as soon as possible if you've already started.
Bring five decisions. Leave with the column, limits and contact confirmed for each. If something remains unclear, record who will clarify it and when.
Check you've got it:For the shift swap, leave request and refund in Jess's example, can you explain what you'd check before giving an answer in your workplace?
Optional: rehearse with AI
Use fictional details only. Don't enter names, employee records or confidential workplace information.
Help me rehearse a conversation with my manager. I've just become a team leader and want to clarify my decision limits. Ask me one question at a time about roster changes, leave and refunds. Push back once, politely. At the end, tell me whether my questions were clear and what I forgot to ask. Don't invent my workplace's actual rules.
AI can help you practise the questions. Your workplace confirms the answers.
Your ticks and notes on this lesson are cleared when you close this tab. On a shared computer,