Leaves in India
According to various studies , the emphasis of leaves is made to improve the work-life balance of both employers and employers. Thus, emplus of any government, non-government and private organization are entitled for leaves during the tenure of their work. It not only motivates the employee but also improves their productivity.
The employees can utilize various types of leaves in India to take time out for activities that are important to them including taking part in sports and recreation,spending time with friends and family, volunteering, or even undertaking further study among others.
There are a number of different types of leaves in India that employees can avail.
1. Holidays
These are the paid eaves and for which there’s no deductions made in the employee’s salaries.
There are the following types of office leave in India
- National Holidays : These are the fixed leaves in India on the 26th of January, 15th of August, and 2nd of October every year.
- Weekly Holidays : There are one or two day weekly leaves at the end of the week for all the employees, whether the employees perform on 5 day or 6 day week depend on the discretion of the organization.
- Festivals : Various religious and regional festivals also account for leaves in India. However due to the difference between the hindu calendar and the gregorian calendar the exact dates of some festivals change every year and few festivals like christmas have fixed days. Every company devises its policy for these leaves in india.
2. Earned Leave or Privilege Leave
The type of leave which the employees can earn as they work for an organization for a specified number of days. The privilege leave is authorized to the employees without any salary deductions. This type of leave generally requires prior approval from the employer except in cases of emergency. The employees are usually allowed to hoard their privilege leaves and even encash them in case they are not available. The number of privilege leaves in India that are admissible may vary on the basis of industry and region.
3. Casual Leave
The type of leave that is often granted for short durations and typically can be taken with prior information to the employer except in cases where prior information to the employer is not possible. Across industries and organizations, there are varying rules for the number of days that casual leaves can be taken at a stretch, often spanning between 3 to 7 days. Official holidays are counted while calculating the number of cadul ;leaves if the holiday falls between the casual leave.
4. Sick Leave or Medical Leave
An employee can call in sick if they are not in a state to come to the office for work. Usually, an employee is entitled to sick leave only after a specified period of employment in an organization. The number of sick leaves allowed may vary from organization to organization and as a matter of fact, no prior information is required for availing this type of leave. A medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner can be required to testify the sickness if the sick leave is being stretched over a long period of time.
5. Maternity Leave
This arrangement is offered to female employees who plan to have a baby. The duration of paid maternity leave can be from 12 to 26 weeks and this can be further extended with 16 months of unpaid leave. No deductions can be made from the leave account of the women employee. This type of leave in india can also be taken in case of miscarriage or abortion but the the number of days can be taken are less.
6. Half Pay Leave
Usually available to government servants only, this type of leave is offered credited to the leave account only after finishing one year of service in the organization. As the name suggests, the employee is only entitled to half of a day’s salary during such a leave.
7. Quarantine Leave
This type of leave is granted to an employee only if there is an infectious disease in the family or household of the employee that can be dangerous to the health of other people in the organization. With the onset of the covid-19 pandemic the government has introduced a number of leaves depending on the situation of employees and their families. Their minimum stipulated leaves are 15 days. And beyond are offered to work from home.
8. Study Leave or Sabbatical Leave
An employee may be granted a study or sabbatical leave to enable him to update their knowledge and experience in a way that they will be of greater use to the Institute after rejoining.
Apart from the various leaves mentioned above, certain sectors and industries also have provisions for other leaves like hospital leave, special disability leave, commuted leave, leave not due, paternity leave, extraordinary leave, childcare leave, special disability leave, and child adoption leave. The duration of all these types of leaves and depending on the circumstances are subject to specific company policies.
