Not every date is suitable for taking time off. In HRnest, you can block leave and absence requests on selected dates or within a specified date range. A leave block can apply to one, several, or all Employees, allowing you to manage leave availability according to your organization's needs.
⭐ How does holiday blocking work?
The leave blocking feature allows you to prevent Employees from planning leave or absence on selected dates. Once a block is applied, affected Employees will not be able to create leave plans or submit the following types of requests for blocked dates:
Annual Leave
Absence
In the Absences Calendar, blocked dates are marked with a padlock icon. Hover over the icon to display information about the block, including the reason provided.
If an Employee attempts to submit a request covering a blocked date, the system will prevent the request from being saved and display an appropriate message:
Who can add a holiday block?
Leave blocks can only be added by users with HR Department permissions. They can block leave and absence requests for one, several, or all Employees, as well as manage existing leave blocks.
Who is affected by a holiday block?
A leave block applies to all users within its scope, including Employees, Supervisors, and the HR Department.
This means that the affected types of requests cannot be submitted for blocked dates, even on behalf of another Employee. The block only applies to the Employees covered by it and to Annual Leave, Absence, and leave planning.
🔢 How to add a holiday block?
Step 1
Go to Absences → Calendar.
Step 2
Find the Employee and date you want to block, then click the plus icon (+) next to the selected date. From the available options, select Add holiday block.
Step 3
Fill in the required information and confirm the holiday block.
Once the block is saved, a padlock icon will appear on the selected date, indicating that leave requests are blocked.
💡 Want to add holiday block for a longer period or for multiple Employees at once? Click the three-dot menu ( ⋮ ) in the upper-right corner and select Add / remove bulk holiday block.
🗑️ How to delete a holiday block?
Step 1
Go to Absences → Calendar.
Step 2
Find the Employee and date for which you want to delete the holiday block, then click the padlock icon next to the selected date. From the available options, select Delete.
Step 3
Confirm the removal of the holiday block.
Once the block is removed, the padlock icon will disappear from the selected date, and the Employee will be able to submit requests for that day again.
💡 Want to remove holiday block for a longer period or for multiple Employees at once? Click the three-dot menu ( ⋮ ) in the upper-right corner and select Add / remove bulk holiday block.
❓ FAQ
Below you'll find answers to frequently asked questions about blocking leave and absence requests on selected dates.
An Employee submitted a request despite a holiday block being in place. How is this possible?
An Employee submitted a request despite a holiday block being in place. How is this possible?
Most likely, the holiday block was added after the Employee had already submitted the request. Holiday blocks are not applied retroactively, so requests submitted before a block was introduced remain valid.
To verify this, compare the request creation date with the leave block creation date:
1. Request creation date – open the request details and check its history to see when the request was created.
2. Holiday block creation date – in the Planning absences / holidays Calendar, click the padlock icon next to the blocked date and select Details. The window will display the exact date and time when the leave block was created.
If the request was created before the holiday block, it means that the selected date was not yet blocked when the Employee submitted the request.
A holiday block is in place, but I need to submit a request.
A holiday block is in place, but I need to submit a request.
To submit a request for a blocked date, you must first remove the holiday block for the Employee concerned.
You don't need to remove the block for all Employees – simply remove it for the specific person whose request you want to submit.
How can I check when a holiday block was added?
How can I check when a holiday block was added?
To check when a leave block was created, click the padlock icon next to the selected date in the Absences Calendar, then select Details.
The window will display information about the blocked date, the scope of the block, the reason provided, and the exact date and time when the leave block was created.
Does a holiday block affect previously submitted requests?
Does a holiday block affect previously submitted requests?
No, leave blocks are not applied retroactively. Absence requests and leave plans submitted before a block was introduced remain valid and are not automatically canceled.
Leave days included in previously submitted requests and plans will still be counted against the Employee's leave entitlement.
Does a leave block apply only to Employees, or also to the HR Department?
Does a leave block apply only to Employees, or also to the HR Department?
Leave blocks apply to all users, including Employees, Supervisors, and the HR Department.
If you are an HR Department user and need to submit a request on behalf of an Employee for a blocked date, you must first remove the leave block for that Employee.
Who can manage holiday blocks?
Who can manage holiday blocks?
Only users with HR Department (Administrator) accounts can manage leave blocks.
Can I grant an Employee permission to block leave dates?
Can I grant an Employee permission to block leave dates?
No, this feature is available exclusively to users with HR Department accounts.