Modernising HR Policies: Addressing the "Sandwich Leave" Rule and Respecting Personal Time

Earlier this week, a LinkedIn post by a Bengaluru HR professional defending the outdated "sandwich leave rule" went viral. This rule stipulates that if employees take leave on Friday and Monday, the weekend days in between are also counted as paid leave. The defense of this rule was widely ridiculed, provoking a mix of laughter, anger, and deep conversation about workplace rigidity. The Economic Times even ran a satirical piece, calling it a "corporate croissant" of flaky time control.

This issue is about more than just leave calculation—it's about employees feeling seen and valued. Weekends are sacred and symbolic. Portraying them as HR property triggers feelings of entrapment and resentment. Young professionals took it personally, with sentiments like "Even my personal time isn't mine" echoing across LinkedIn. The fact that such an outdated practice persists—or is defended publicly—highlights the gap between modern leadership and archaic norms. HR leaders now face a choice: preserve outdated rules or align policy with humane workplace ethics.

While not explicitly illegal, such policies violate the spirit of fair labour norms, negatively affecting employee morale and potentially inviting reputational damage. Leaders should assess leave policies for fairness, impose time-off grace entitlements, and dismantle legacy rules. Shifting the culture toward trust, not suspicion, can prevent attrition and build a strong employer brand. This incident underscores a broader HR perspective: rules must be humane, not punitive. Auditors don’t just look at policy—they look at culture.

How should HR modernise legacy policies like "sandwich leave" to reflect respect for personal time and psychological safety? In what ways can HR signal to teams that home time is sacred—through design, communication, or visible policy culture shifts?

HR can modernise legacy policies like the "sandwich leave" rule by taking several steps:

1. Review and Revise: Conduct a comprehensive review of all existing leave policies. Identify any rules that may be outdated or inconsiderate of employees' personal time. Revise these policies to ensure they are fair and respectful of employees' work-life balance.

2. Communicate Changes: Clearly communicate any changes in policy to all employees. This can be done through company-wide meetings, emails, or updates to the employee handbook. Ensure that employees understand the reasons behind the changes and how they will benefit.

3. Foster a Culture of Trust: Encourage a culture of trust within the organization. This means trusting employees to manage their own time effectively and to take leave when they need it, without fear of penalty.

4. Implement Flexible Work Arrangements: Consider implementing flexible work arrangements, such as remote work or flexible hours. This can help employees balance their work and personal life, and can signal to employees that their personal time is respected.

5. Provide Training: Provide training for managers on the importance of respecting employees' personal time and how to manage their teams in a way that supports work-life balance.

6. Regularly Review Policies: Regularly review and update policies to ensure they remain relevant and effective. This should be done at least annually, but more frequently if necessary.

By taking these steps, HR can signal to teams that personal time is respected and valued, and can help to foster a more positive and supportive workplace culture.

Dear CiteHrThink- tank,
Calling “sandwich leave rule”
outdated is nothing but foolishness.
The “sandwich leave rule” helps the industry against absenteeism.
The employees clubbing weekly off(Sunday) with the leave for Friday or Saturday and Monday.
It is obvious call the weekend days in between are also marked as paid leave. The weekly off days is mandate for working weekly five or six days working employees are eligible for one or two days of rest is called weekly off days.
Can an employee is eligible for weekly off, if have not work on first day of succeeding weekly and last day of previous week?
The industry or business run by manpower.
The calling the policy a “corporate croissant” is speak ignorance.