Custom Leave Types and Special Leave
Beyond the standard Annual, Casual, and Sick leave that employees can apply for directly, OpenHRApp's leave management system supports several additional leave types and allows admins to configure custom ones.
Standard Employee Leave Types
These are the leave types employees can apply for through the self-service form:
| Type | Description | Has Balance |
|---|---|---|
| Annual | Vacation / annual leave | Yes — deducted from allocation |
| Casual | Short-notice personal leave | Yes — deducted from allocation |
| Sick | Medical / health-related leave | Yes — deducted from allocation |
Special Leave Types (Admin-Created)
These types are typically created by Admin/HR on behalf of employees:
| Type | Description | Has Balance |
|---|---|---|
| Maternity | Leave for expectant or new mothers | No — duration set per case |
| Paternity | Leave for new fathers | No — duration set per case |
| Earned | Accrued leave earned through extra work | No — managed manually |
| Unpaid | Leave without pay | No — no balance deduction |
How Half-Day Leave Works
OpenHR supports half-day leave. When an Admin or HR creates a leave record manually, the total days field can be set to decimal values like 0.5 for a half day. This allows precise tracking of partial leave days.
How to Create Custom Leave Types (Admin Only)
Admins can create entirely new leave types from Organization Settings:
- Navigate to Organization from the sidebar.
- Go to the Leaves tab.
- In the leave types section, click "Add Leave Type".
- Configure:
- Name — The display name (e.g., "Compensatory Off," "Study Leave")
- Has Balance — Whether this type tracks a quota
- Description — A brief explanation of when this leave type applies
- Save.
Custom leave types will appear in the Admin leave creation form and can be assigned to any employee.
Related Guides
- How to Apply for Leave — Submit standard leave requests.
- Leave Approval for HR and Admins — Create leave records for special types.
- Understanding Leave Policies — Allocations and workflow configuration.
- Setting Up Your Organization — Where to configure custom leave types.