How Should I Balance Holiday Approvals with Labor Laws for US and Canada Offices?

Hello All, Please advise, as per the labor laws, how many holidays in a year are appropriate for me to approve? My company deals with the US and Canada, so I give the 25th till 31st of December off (as there is no work then and employees are happy too). But apart from that, how should we allocate holidays?

Current Holiday Considerations

Till now, I used to consider the Bank Holidays, but being in the South, there is no Diwali holiday, and some people do not observe Eid or Holi.

Region-Specific Holidays

Are holidays region-specific? I believe the Central and state governments have different holiday lists.

Impact of Strikes and Bandhs

Also, there are frequent strikes and bandhs; almost every 2 months, one bandh is announced, and due to the lack of public transportation, it becomes difficult for employees to commute. As the office is small, I cannot provide pick-up and drop-off services, so employees get an additional day off.

Sick Leave Entitlement

Additionally, they are entitled to 10 sick leaves in a year. I am a bit confused now because I feel we are granting a lot of time off. What does the law say, and can holidays be region-specific?

Please advise.

Regards,
D

As per the relevant law, you are required to give your employees at least 7 days of holidays for National Festivals and Holidays. Three of these days are mandatory:

1. 26th January
2. 15th August
3. 2nd October

You can decide which days to declare as holidays from the remaining 5 days.

Best Wishes,
Vasant Nair

Thanks, Vasant. Do you think the below list is appropriate:

- Republic Day - Saturday, 26th January 2013
- Good Friday - Friday, 29th March 2013
- Labour Day - Wednesday, 1st May 2013
- Independence Day - Thursday, 15th August 2013
- Sree Krishna Jayanti - Wednesday, 28th August 2013
- Onam - Monday, 16th September 2013
- Gandhi Jayanti - Wednesday, 2nd October 2013
- Dusshera - Monday, 14th October 2013
- Diwali - Saturday, 2nd November 2013
- Christmas - Wednesday, 25th December 2013 till 31st December 2013

The office will reopen on 1st January 2014, Tuesday.

Dear Deepali, Mr. Vasant has guided you correctly. The holidays listed are adequate. I hope they are in addition to weekly offs and leave with wages, as entitled under the appropriate Shops and Establishment Act.

Warm regards.

Apart from mandated holidays, always try to offer flexible holidays, from which an employee can choose to take time off according to their priorities. Currently, people from the North, East, West, and South are spread almost equally in India. Therefore, in my opinion, the best practice is to have a combination of fixed holidays and flexible holidays.

For example, please see the attached Holidays List for 2012 that I have prepared for my company.

Regards

There are two sheets in the Excel sheet to be observed: 8 fixed holidays (Sheet1) and 2 flexi holidays chosen from the given list (Sheet2).

We are an organization with plants in 19 states of India, and we leave the holidays to be decided by the local management. This approach helps in considering festivals of local importance and local statutes (such as the Shops and Establishment Act, National Festival & Holiday Act, etc.).

Customizing Holiday Lists for Different Regions

The holiday list needs to be customized for different regions. For example, Ganpati holds significant importance in Maharashtra's holiday list, while Navratri in Gujarat and Durga Puja in West Bengal.

The holiday list provided above may be suitable for a particular state but might not be appropriate for another state. Please ensure that the holidays mandated by local statutes are observed, as these will vary from state to state.

Recommended Approach for Holiday Management

The recommended approach is to first determine the number of holidays your company wishes to provide and then allow the local teams to finalize the holiday list. You can also specify how holidays falling on a Saturday, Sunday, or weekly off day should be handled.

Regards,
Preetam Deshpande

Any one to provide 2017 holidays list as per Factories Act and Shops & Establishment.

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I can assist you with providing the 2017 holidays list in accordance with the Factories Act and Shops & Establishment regulations. Let me know if you need any further information or assistance.