Add a Rest Day, Day Off, or Work Day on a Public Holiday in brioHR Time Attendance Rostering
This article explains how HR/Admin can set a public holiday as a Rest Day, Day Off, or Work Day in brioHR rostering, so the correct overtime type and rate are applied.
Audience & Scope
Audience: HR Admin
Module: Time Attendance
Country: Global
Pre-requisites: HR Module Permission for Time Attendance Module
Introduction
By default, when a public holiday (PH) falls on a scheduled working day, it's treated as a paid holiday. When it falls on an employee's Rest Day or Day Off, the day type stays as Rest/Off.
HR/Admin can now change this on the roster — setting the day to Rest Day, Day Off, or Work Day (Full/Half) directly on a public holiday — for employees on both Shift and Flexi work arrangements. This ensures the system:
- Applies the correct overtime type and rate for work done on a PH that falls on a rest day or day off.
- Keeps monthly/weekly working day counts accurate.
- Reflects the correct day type on the roster, timesheet, and payroll.
Why Change the Day Type on a Public Holiday?
Some companies need to record that an employee is scheduled to rest, be off, or work a full/half day even though the date is a public holiday — for example, when the employee's normal rest day happens to coincide with the PH, but they're still asked to work. Setting this correctly ensures the right overtime type is recorded (see table below).
Step-by-Step Guide: Add a Rest Day, Day Off, or Work Day on a Public Holiday
Step 1 – Access the Rostering Page
- Go to HR Lounge > Time Attendance.
- Click on the Rostering tab

Step 2 – Select the Employee and Date
- Filter by the employee's name in the search box.

- Locate the public holiday you want to update.
-
Hover over the box and click the plus (+)/edit (pencil) icon.


Step 3 – Choose the Day Type
Shift Schedule Employees
Assuming no 'day type' has been assigned:
A dropdown will appear. In addition to + Create new shift and + Choose from existing shifts, you'll see a REST & OFF section:
- Rest day
- Day off

Flexible Schedule Employee
The default will show Full day, but you can also change it to:
- Replace as Work – Half day
- Replace as Rest day
- Replace as Day off

Select the option that matches what you want to set for that public holiday.
IMPORTANT:
Flexi employees are not marked as "absent" on public holidays if they do not clock in.
NOTE:
You can only set one day type per employee per public holiday. Selecting a new option replaces any existing shift, rest day, or day off already set for that date.
How Overtime Is Calculated
| What the PH is set to | Overtime counted under | Overtime type applied | Are all worked hours OT? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work Day with Full/Half day or Shift assigned | OT on PH | Public Holiday OT rate | Yes — all hours worked count as OT |
| Rest Day with Full/Half day or Shift assigned | OT on Rest Day (PH) | Rest Day OT rate |
Yes — all hours worked count as OT |
| Day Off with Full/Half day or Shift assigned | OT on Day Off (PH) | Public Holiday OT rate | Yes — all hours worked count as OT |
| Rest Day / Day Off (no work assigned) |
- |
— | Not applicable; no OT hours worked |
Scenario example:
- Employee Schedule: Work days: Monday - Friday, Day Off: Saturday, Rest Day: Sunday
- If a PH falls on a Sunday (Rest Day for employee) and a shift/work is assigned to the employee, the hours worked will be recorded in the timesheet as OT on Rest Day (PH). If approved, the OT will be paid out at the Rest Day OT rate.
- If a PH falls on a Saturday (Day Off for employee) and a shift is assigned to the employee, the hours worked will be recorded in the timesheet as OT on Day Off (PH). If approved, the OT will be paid out at the Public Holiday OT rate.
NOTE:
Under 'Schedules and Shifts' in Admin Settings -
-
All schedules can be edited
-
The schedule assigned to an employee can also be changed
LEARN MORE:
These overtime types appear in:
- The employee's Timesheet Detail

- The Timesheet Report

- The Timesheet to Payroll view

Common Issues/FAQ
Q1: Can an employee apply leave on a public holiday that's been set to a Work Day?
A: No. Employees cannot apply leave on a public holiday, even if it has been overridden to a Work Day.
Q2: Will a Flexi employee be marked absent if they don't clock in on a public holiday set to Rest Day or Day Off?
A: No. The system does not automatically mark Flexi employees as absent on a public holiday if they have no clock-in record.
Q3: What happens if the employee's work schedule has "Expected to work on Public Holidays" checked?
A: If that setting is enabled, no public holiday roster entry is created at all — the day is treated as a normal working day with no PH pay or overtime rate, and this Rest Day/Day Off/Work Day override doesn't apply. Uncheck the setting if you want the PH to appear on the roster with these options available.
Q4: What happens if a PH and Annual Leave fall on the same day and the employee works
A: Public Holiday overtime takes priority over Normal overtime.
Q5: My employees are on a schedule where they are 'expected to work on public holiday'. Can I assign them PH rates?
A: No, if the employee's schedule has 'expected to work on public holiday' enabled, no PH will show in their roster. Since the system does not record PH for their roster, no PH rates can apply.
Related Articles
- How to Assign Shifts on Public Holidays in BrioHR Time Attendance Rostering
- How Managers Can Assign Shifts on Public Holiday in BrioHR Rostering
- How to manage employees' rostering as HR Admin
- How to approve employee's overtime as a HR Admin
Ownership
By: Aqilah