how to configure holiday schedule with workforce optimization?

[Joshua Chen FX]

without WFO' you would create a child schedule with holidays as schedules entries, but how do you set up schedules with WFO to account for holidays?

is there any other way than creating multiple schedule plan/shifts that exclude holidays?

[M Iftikhar]

Hi @Joshua Chen FX,

You've correctly identified that the way holidays are handled in the Workforce Optimization (WFO) module is different from the standard ServiceNow scheduling functionality. You are right—there is no direct "child schedule" feature in WFO.

The idea of creating multiple schedule plans to exclude holidays is very cumbersome. The recommended and most effective method is to use a custom event type.

The Recommended Solution: Custom Event Type

The best practice for handling holidays in WFO is to create a custom event type and then apply it to agents' schedules. This method fully leverages WFO's architecture for a more scalable solution.

• Step 1: Create a Holiday Event Type. Go to Workforce Optimization for ITSM > Time Off Management > Event Types. Create a new record named "Holiday". Set the Category to Other and the Behavior to Non-Working. Create or enable access to event types to add them to the team calendar
• Step 2: Add Entries to Agent Schedules. For each holiday, navigate to Agent Schedules > Schedule Entries and create a new entry for each agent who is off. Set the Type to your new "Holiday" event. Work scheduler in Workforce Optimization for ITSM
• Step 3: Manage with Shift Planning. Schedulers will see the "Holiday" events on the calendar views, which serves as a visual cue to not assign shifts. The system will automatically account for this non-working time in its forecasting.

This approach is the standard best practice for managing holidays in WFO. While it requires manual entry, it is far more efficient than creating multiple shift plans and correctly uses the system's built-in functionality.

Thanks & Regards,
Muhammad Iftikhar
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