Let’s be real — restricting paid time off (PTO) to just one-time sounds like something HR would love but IT would groan about.Whether it’s a one-off “Thank You Day” or a bonus recognition leave, the idea’s simple: Let people use it once — and only once. But when it comes to setting that up in Workday? Not so simple.
Until now.Why Workday Makes This Way Harder Than It Should BeWorkday’s great — but if you’ve ever tried to enforce “one-and-done” PTO rules, you already know:The ProblemThe PainNo built-in “one-time only” optionGotta hack it with calculated fields & validationsSetup complexityTons of configurations just to track if someone already used itNo real-time enforcementPeople submit requests that get rejected later — after wasting timeEnter: CloudApper hrPadCloudApper hrPad plugs into your Workday setup like a smart front door. It catches leave requests before they hit the system — and blocks the ones that break your rules.What hrPad DoesWhy It MattersChecks in real-timeNo more back-and-forths or post-submission rejectionsTells users why it’s blockedNo confusion, no HR ticketsNo-code setupHR can tweak the rules themselves — no devs neededKeeps Workday cleanOnly valid requests get throughTL;DR: You make the rules. hrPad enforces them. Workday stays untouched.Real-Life Win: Healthcare EditionOne health system had a simple goal:
👉 Give every clinical staffer one “Thank You Day.” But make sure they only get it once.Before hrPad? They tracked usage manually. Rejected duplicate requests after the fact.
Messy. Stressy. Not scalable.After hrPad?
✅ Duplicates were blocked instantly
✅ Staff got immediate feedback
✅ HR stopped playing PTO policeIt just worked. Smooth. Smart. Stress-free. Final WordWorkday’s powerful, but it wasn’t built for one-off edge cases like this. **CloudApper hrPad gives HR superpowers — **letting you roll out nuanced PTO policies without rewriting backend code or begging IT for help.If you want real-time validation, zero errors, and happy HR teams, hrPad is your new best friend. Quick FAQs:Q: Can I restrict any type of PTO?
Yep — “Thank You Day,” “Anniversary Leave,” whatever you want.Q: Can I roll it out across departments/locations?
Absolutely. One rule to rule them all.Q: Do I need IT to set this up?
Nope. hrPad is no-code. Drag, drop, done.Q: What if someone tries to sneak around the rule?
They won’t get far — hrPad shuts it down before it even touches Workday or UKG.Q: Do I have to ditch my current PTO setup?
No way. hrPad layers on top of what you already have. It’s the guard dog, not a full remodel.This article was first inspired fromRestrict One-Time PTO Requests in Workday with CloudApper hrPadBy Sebastian Tucker
AI Tablet for HR | Updated May 29, 2025