HRStop allows administrators to enable and manage Optional (Restricted) Holidays, offering employees the flexibility to take leave on culturally or personally significant days that are not mandated for the entire organization.
These holidays are not mandatory—unlike public holidays—and are availed at the employee's discretion. The office remains operational, and only employees who choose to take the day off are marked on leave.
What Are Optional / Restricted Holidays?
- An Optional Holiday (also known as a Restricted Holiday) is a non-mandatory holiday that employees can choose to observe based on personal, cultural, or religious reasons.
- It allows personalized leave planning without requiring a full office closure.
- Organizations may set a limit on the number of optional holidays an employee can avail each year.
How to Enable Optional / Restricted Holidays in HRStop
To start using Optional Holidays in your HRStop portal, follow the steps below:
Steps to Enable the Optional Holiday Feature:
- Navigate to: Control Panel -> Settings -> Modules
- Scroll to the Miscellaneous section.
- Check the box for “Enable Restricted/Optional Holiday Module”.
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Configure the following settings:
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Number of Optional Holidays allowed per calendar year
Define how many optional holidays each employee is allowed to take annually. -
Employment Type Restriction (Optional)
If needed, you can restrict optional holiday access to specific employment types (e.g., Full-Time, Interns, etc.). -
Enable Optional Holiday Approval Workflow (Optional)
If you want employees to submit requests for optional holidays that need manager approval, enable this option. -
Minimum Notice Period Before Optional Holiday
Set the minimum number of days before the holiday date that an employee must submit their request.
Example: If set to “2”, and today is May 20, the employee cannot apply for an optional holiday on May 21 or 22.
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Number of Optional Holidays allowed per calendar year
- Scroll down and click Update to save your changes.
How to Define Optional / Restricted Holidays
Once the module is enabled, you can start adding Optional Holidays to your holiday calendars.
Steps to Define Optional Holidays:
- Navigate to: Control Panel -> Holidays
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Either:
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Edit an existing Holiday Calendar
OR - Create a new Holiday Calendar
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Edit an existing Holiday Calendar
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When adding a holiday:
- Enter the Holiday Name, Date, and Description (optional)
- Under Holiday Type, select Optional/Restricted
- Click Save to finalize.
The defined optional holidays will now appear in the employee holiday list, marked separately from mandatory holidays.
Key Points to Remember:
- Optional Holidays are not auto-assigned—employees must manually apply for them (based on rules configured).
- The approval process can be enabled or disabled as per your policy.
- These holidays are visible in the calendar with a distinct label, helping employees and managers differentiate them from mandatory holidays.