Can You Legally Work During Your Leave? Understanding the Implications for Government Employees

Official Work During Leave Period

I am working in a government corporation. Is official work during the leave period permitted? What are the legal implications of doing official work during sanctioned leave?

I am working in a government corporation and would like to know if it is allowed to engage in official work during the leave period. Additionally, I am interested in understanding the legal implications of conducting official tasks while on sanctioned leave.

Dear Shyamprasad Rao, though you have raised a query, you have not mentioned in what capacity you work in the Govt Corporation. Are you an officer or a lower cadre employee?

Personal Work During Office Hours

Employees in general, whether from government services, semi-government services, or private organizations, do some amount of personal work during office hours. Therefore, as a corollary, if they do some work during their leave, then there is nothing wrong per se.

Approvals and Official Decisions

Nevertheless, government employees sign certificates or other important documents in the course of their work. These approvals or their official decisions should not create a problem for them. If an inquiry were to take place, the question could be raised as to why the government employee had given some approvals despite being on leave.

Recommendation for Approval

In government services, everything happens with the approval from a "competent authority." Therefore, I recommend you obtain approval for the work you will be required to do while on leave. This approval will provide protection in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

I am working as a Senior Manager (HR). A senior officer asked me this question. I replied to them not to do that. I suggested that if there are urgent issues, it is better to seek approval from the competent authority and submit a revised leave request for that day/hour. I just wanted to know if my suggestion is okay or if there are any other legal implications because during sanctioned leave, how is it possible?