Should We Announce Management-Declared Holidays Just a Day Before? Seeking Advice from HR Peers

Dear Senior HR, I have been sending out the formal email to the employees a day before the management-declared holiday. Some people have raised objections regarding this. Could you please advise if we should send out the official email regarding the management-declared holidays just a day before the holiday or not?

Warm Regards,

Someone is scheduled to meet you at your office tomorrow, let's say from the Income Tax department, and an email swiftly declares a holiday tomorrow for some occasion. What would you do? [The company you are working for matters.]

Critical Areas Pertaining to Processes and Rules

Critical areas pertaining to processes and rules have been decided and declared earlier to avoid any sort of discrepancies in the workplace. This applies not only to government offices but also to private and other sectors. As an HR professional, it is a dire responsibility to anticipate challenges beforehand. If the management decides to declare a holiday for the workforce, an Inter-Office Communication (IOC) with acknowledgment is the best option. This ensures that people who are scheduled in their daily routines will face no barriers and won't have to reach out to you.

A recent incident occurred last week on 9th April '13 when a holiday was declared due to an AP Bandh for the government raising heavy charges on electricity. This declaration was made a week before the Bandh took place. There have been many other incidents highlighting abrupt holidays, in such cases, all you can do is say, "Holiday declared by the management!"

P.S: An IOC can be sent to the HODs, senior personnel for their team initials. An email can then be circulated 24 hours prior to the unintended holiday.

If there is going to be any change in the normal schedule and you have adequate time to communicate such change, it is always better to put the employees on notice of the change well in advance, whether it is about a holiday, a working day, or any other. If the change crops up suddenly, leaving not much time for you to give advance notice, you have no option but to communicate such change as early as possible, making the best use of modern communication tools like SMS, etc. Thus, there is no hard and fast rule regarding advance notice of a holiday if it is a normal administrative decision and is guided by the principles of expediency and reasonableness.

Regards,
B. Saikumar
HR & Labour Law Advisor
Mumbai

The holidays are an important part of any employee's life, and I have never seen any company that keeps its holidays confidential or uncertain. It's better for your staff and customers if you declare the list of major holidays in the first week of January itself. Other holidays like Eid, etc., or any special holidays may be granted or advised one or two days in advance. This will help your staff to plan and utilize their holidays properly. On the other side, if you follow this practice, you won't be losing anything. If you expect good performance from your workers, you have to contribute whatever best you can, and I am sure by declaring the holiday list, you are not going to lose anything. This will just make you more professional and worker-oriented. Just think.

Regards

Dear Senior HR, Don't you have an annual holiday calendar stating all the declared holidays? Consider making it available to the employees either on the notice board or on the Intranet.

Hi Sweta,

No need to think specifically about the holidays. If you post the holidays list—both National holidays and Management-declared holidays—on the notice board, the matter is resolved. Furthermore, for employees working in the branches or elsewhere, you have to send the scanned copy of the list of holidays to the branch mail IDs.

For the extra holidays given due to special occasions and on bandhs (which are declared one day before), you have to inform through an official mail or circulate it to everyone.

Warm Regards,

Subject: Diwali Holiday Declaration for Employees

Dear Team,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to inform you that our company will be observing a one-day holiday in celebration of Diwali on [Date]. Please be advised that the office will remain closed on this day.

We encourage all employees to take this opportunity to spend quality time with their families and loved ones during this festive season. Regular office operations will resume on the following business day.

Should you have any urgent matters that need attention during the holiday, please feel free to reach out to your respective managers or team leaders.

Thank you for your attention to this announcement. Wishing you all a joyous and prosperous Diwali celebration!

Warm regards,
Rojasmita