Holiday Falls on a Sunday: Can We Offer a Replacement Day Off for Employees?

Dear all,

Can we compensate a working day with a holiday? As the holiday is falling on Sunday, the employees are asking for a replacement. Kindly suggest to me regarding the above doubt with a better remedy.

Thanks and Regards,
Lohita

Hi,

Yes, we can compensate a working day as a holiday. As per the rules, there are 12 holidays in a year (e.g., New Year's Day, Holi, Independence Day, etc.). If it is less than 12 days, then we can compensate a working day as a holiday.

Regards,
Binaz

Hi Lohita,

I think you could compensate a working day with a holiday, but there should be no compromises on mandatory holidays like Independence Day, Republic Day, and Gandhi Jayanthi. These days cannot be compensated with a holiday, whether they fall on a working day or a holiday. These are my thoughts, but I am sure there would be more people to shed light on this topic.

Thanks & Regards,
Hari

Hi,

Yes, we can compensate a working day as a holiday.

As per the rules, there are 12 holidays in a year (e.g. New Year's Day, Holi, Independence Day, etc.). If it is less than 12 days, then we can compensate a working day as a holiday.

Regards,

Binaz

What rules specify 12 holidays in a year?

The number of holidays in each year is decided by the companies themselves. There are no mandatory holidays, either by numbers or by the occasion, specified for private companies, except for the three national holidays (Republic Day, Independence Day, and Gandhi Jayanti - which are observed compulsorily by private companies more as a convention), that are mandatory for any private company in India.

If you have a list of 12 holidays that are normally observed every year, and one of them falls on a Sunday in any particular year, the employees cannot demand another working day in lieu of it. The company may, as a matter of goodwill, give them another day, but this is not a healthy practice in my opinion. It would have been better if the HR department had chosen another holiday that falls on a weekday in place of this holiday while drawing up the list of holidays, than granting a workday off now. But then, like I said, it is strictly up to the company to do what it likes in this matter.

Hi Lohita,

I hope you have got your answer from Binaz. Yes, you can replace a holiday with a working day, and vice versa. The only thing is you need to make sure everyone has 12 days of holiday in a year, or maybe less but you need to pay for the extra working day. Apart from that, everything else remains the same.

Regards,
Amith R.

Hi Raj,

Adding to this, I would like to know what happens if one of the three mandatory holidays falls on a Sunday, namely Republic Day, Independence Day, and Gandhi Jayanti. In such a case, should we still consider Sunday as the holiday, or can we choose another day instead? It is clear that employees cannot request a replacement holiday for a Sunday. Could you please clarify this for me?

Regards, Amith R.

Hi Raj,

Adding to this, I would like to know what happens if one of the three mandatory holidays falls on a Sunday, specifically Republic Day, Independence Day, and Gandhi Jayanthi. In such a case, should we still observe the holiday on Sunday or can we choose a different day? It is clear that employees cannot request a replacement holiday for Sundays. Can you please clarify this for me?

Regards,
Amith R.

The three national holidays must be observed on the actual days they occur, even if they fall on Sundays. Institutions and offices that are required to hoist the national flag and hold appropriate functions must do so on the Sundays on which these holidays fall. There is no provision in the rules to provide an additional holiday on a weekday in place of these Sundays.

You are required to pay double the wages if you make your employees work on a declared holiday.

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Let me know if you need further assistance.

Regarding holidays, this is my explanation:

If the employee has worked on a holiday that is observed by the organization, then a Compensatory Off can be given if that is practiced by the organization. The best approach would be to review the Standing Orders of your organization to determine what it states.

Regarding national holidays, the local policy of the state has to be considered for the same.

In making decisions related to holidays, consider the practices in your organization and also refer to the provisions in the Standing Orders of your organization.