The WORKDAY function in Google Sheets is a powerful tool designed to calculate a target date based on a given number of working days. This function accounts for weekends and allows users to incorporate holidays, making it an essential feature for project management and scheduling tasks in a business environment.

Syntax

WORKDAY(start_date, num_days, [holidays])

• start_date: The initial date from which to begin counting.
• num_days: The number of working days to add to the start date. It can be a positive or negative integer.
• [holidays]: (Optional) A range of dates representing holidays to exclude from the calculation.

Example #1

WORKDAY("2023-10-01", 10)

The function calculates the date that is 10 working days after October 1, 2023, resulting in October 17, 2023.

Example #2

WORKDAY("2023-10-01", -5)

This calculates the date that is 5 working days before October 1, 2023, leading to September 25, 2023.

Example #3

WORKDAY("2023-10-01", 10, {"2023-10-10"})

This computes the date 10 working days after October 1, 2023, while excluding the holiday on October 10, resulting in October 18, 2023.

Error handling

• VALUE!: This error occurs if the start_date is not a valid date.
• NUM!: This indicates that the num_days parameter is invalid or results in a date that is not possible.
• REF!: This error arises when the holidays range contains invalid cell references.

Conclusion

Utilizing the WORKDAY function simplifies the process of determining end dates for projects or tasks while effectively managing weekends and holidays. Its capacity to adapt to various scenarios makes it a crucial asset in time-sensitive operations, enhancing productivity and efficiency in planning.