Leave Policies in West Bengal Hospitals: How Do You Handle Accumulation and Advance Notice?

Hi all, I would like to request feedback and information on the following topic:

Leave Policy for Pvt. Hospital in West Bengal

Our organization is registered as a Pvt. Hospital operating in the state of West Bengal. We offer 10 CL, 14 PL or EL, and 7 SL per month. The leave distribution follows the state labor laws.

Accumulation and Carry Over of Leave

I need to know how many PL or EL and SL can be accumulated and carried over to the next year.

Advance Notice for PL

Additionally, please inform me of the advance notice employees need to give when applying for PL before being granted.

I work here as an Asst. Manager in H.R., and the daily attendance is very low. I am doing my best to implement significant changes. Kindly share your knowledge.

Regards, Soumajit Chowdhury Kolkata

Hello Soumajit, I can provide you with some guidance regarding industrial experience. Maybe you will have to check with other hospitals in your city to see what their policies are.

Accumulation Limit for SL, PL, or EL

Usually, the accumulation limit of SL, PL, or EL in industries is defined by the company. At least, from what we observed, for SL, it will be carried forward with no accumulation limit. However, SL cannot be encashed at the time of leaving or during retirement; they are simply to be utilized.

Carrying Forward PL or EL

For PL or EL to be carried forward, the limit is usually 120 days for employees up to 50 years of age and 150 days for employees aged 50 and above (since they are closer to retirement). PL is definitely encashable. Generally, one has to apply 15 days/8 days in advance to avail PL. Again, it depends on the company to specify the criteria.

As rightly suggested above, please refer to the Shop & Establishment Act of your state.

Dear Soumajit, absenteeism is a significant issue, especially in the service sector. I can relate to your situation. However, if employees have leave balance, they often feel entitled to use it. Therefore, many companies include a clause in their leave policy stating, "Leave is not a matter of right; leave without prior approval will be considered as absent." However, this is rarely enforced literally.

If you want to amend your company's leave policy to control absenteeism, consider including a clause requiring prior approval, except in emergencies. Additionally, issue warning letters for non-compliance. If the problem persists, you may need to take disciplinary action. Believe me, after taking action in two or three cases, you will notice a change. However, management must support you in this endeavor.

Attendance Incentive for Improving Punctuality

To improve daily attendance and punctuality in the office, you can add an Attendance Incentive component to the salary breakup. You can keep this component as a variable component. For example, the Attendance Incentive is Rs 2000/month for employee X. If employee X takes 1 day of leave (above his monthly leave balance or any unapproved leave) or comes late 3 times in a month, deduct 50% of the incentive, making him eligible for Rs 1000. If he takes 2 days of leave (above his monthly leave balance or any unapproved leave) or comes late 5 times in a month, deduct 75% of the incentive, making him eligible for Rs 500. If he takes 3 days of leave (above his monthly leave balance or any unapproved leave) or comes late more than 5 times in a month, deduct 100% of the incentive, making him eligible for Rs 0.

I don't know how leaves are allotted in your company. I tried to give you a little idea about how this attendance incentive can work out. Please refer to your state shop and establishment act for leave details, as 7 SL/month is not correct.

Thanks & Regards,
V.S. Anju