How Can I Convince My Company to Improve Leave Policies or Should I Consider Quitting?

I have just joined a manufacturing company as an HR Head. At the time of joining, they mentioned that I am eligible to design and implement policies for the admin department as it's a private limited firm that is 11 years old, but there was an HR department before this.

Currently, they are only providing 12 leaves and 5 holidays (26th January, 15th August, 2nd October, Diwali, Holi). The work hours are 9 hours per day for 6 days a week, and all the employer-centric policies have been implemented immediately. However, they are unwilling to increase any leave, holidays, or offer Saturday as a half-day or off.

Seeking Advice on Policy Changes

Please suggest how I can change their minds or take action against these issues, or if my only option is to quit.

Thank you.

Compliance with Leave and Holiday Regulations

You can inform them of the following:

1) The company, being a manufacturing one, is covered by the Factories Act. The Factories Act provides annual leave at the rate of one day for every twenty days of service put in by an employee. Thus, in a calendar year, the company has to give a minimum of 18 days of leave. Any violation of this will amount to a breach of the Act, calling for action from the competent authorities under the Act.

2) Apart from this, many states have Industrial Establishments National and Festival Holidays Acts, which normally prescribe 4 national holidays and four festival holidays. Please verify whether there is any such Act (Delhi Act) applicable to you. If so, you can draw the company's attention to it.

Regards,
B. Saikumar
HR & Labour Law Advisor
Mumbai

I have noted your concern about the company being 11 years old and not offering any benefits to its employees. This is indeed a serious issue that needs to be addressed promptly. It is essential for companies to provide adequate benefits to their employees to ensure their well-being and job satisfaction.

Importance of Employee Benefits

Employee benefits play a crucial role in attracting and retaining talent, as well as boosting morale and productivity within the organization. I recommend bringing this matter to the attention of the company's management or HR department to initiate discussions on implementing employee benefits.

If you need any assistance or guidance on how to approach this issue effectively, feel free to reach out. I am here to help.

Best regards

Yes, I am searching for this act and the course of action that can be taken, but all efforts have failed. That is why I am looking for accurate suggestions.

In addition to what B. Saikumar mentioned about going against the laid-down laws/rules, I suggest that you also do some research on other companies in your sector/domain that are performing better than your company. Make a comparative chart showing where your company is lagging and where others are excelling.

Quite often, people (which, by corollary, means companies led by such people) only respond when they see other similarly positioned companies/people outperforming them with better policies.

This reminds me of a quote: "You can't do today's business with yesterday's methods and expect to be in business tomorrow"—though I doubt your employer would acknowledge this reality on their own.

All the best.

Regards,
TS