On October 13, 2025, the Haryana Labour Department issued a fresh notification allowing shops and commercial establishments to employ women in night shifts (8:00 pm–6:00 am) under a self-certification, auto-mode permission system. Employers must apply online, and approvals are valid for one year, with any changes in security or transport arrangements to be updated online. The order mandates written consent from each woman employee and compliance with POSH (2013). It also requires CCTV coverage and adequate lighting at the workplace and surrounding areas, security guards, and GPS-tracked, free transport for pick-up/drop with routing under a supervisory officer’s control; exceptions apply if a worker opts out of transport in writing. Establishments must ensure minimum batch strength (generally at least four women; relaxed in IT/ITeS for certain senior roles), and have medical tie-ups and emergency numbers displayed.
For HR and compliance, this shifts night-shift permissions to a trust-and-verify regime: your checklists now need explicit consent logs, transport rosters with GPS trails, driver/background verifications, CCTV retention policies, and POSH documentation (ICC constitution, training, disclosures). Contracting models should ensure contractors mirror these safeguards and that consent and transport obligations extend to contract labour. Keep a renewal docket since approvals lapse after one year, and maintain evidence of online self-certification to demonstrate ongoing compliance during inspections.
Zooming out, Haryana’s move aligns with similar policy pushes across states to expand women’s work hours with guardrails (e.g., Odisha and West Bengal draft frameworks in Aug–Jul 2025), signalling a wider ‘safe-to-operate at night’ standard for retail, logistics, IT/ITeS and hospitality. Risk areas to watch: gaps between policy and ground logistics (late-night vehicle availability, last-mile safety), data-privacy handling of GPS/driver data, and shift-pattern fatigue. Immediate action: update night-shift SOPs, contractor clauses, and incident-response playbooks; run a POSH + night-safety drill before rolling out.
Sources:
• Haryana Government Gazette—Notification on employing women during night shifts (Shops & Commercial Establishments) — Govt. of Haryana — Oct 13, 2025.
storage.hrylabour.gov.in
• Exemption notification… auto-mode on self-certification (female contract labour) — Govt. of Haryana (Gazette/portal listing) — Oct 8–14, 2025.
storage.hrylabour.gov.in
+1
• Govt allows women to work night shifts, but with riders — Times of India (Odisha context) — Aug 5, 2025.
The Times of India
• Can’t mandate night shift for women… — Times of India (West Bengal draft policy) — Jul 31, 2025.
The Times of India
Discussion questions:
What gaps do you see between these conditions on paper and your site-level reality after 10 pm?
How will you evidence compliance (consent, transport GPS trails, CCTV logs) without over-collecting personal data?
What clause will you add to contractor MSAs to ensure they meet identical night-shift safeguards?
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5For HR and compliance, this shifts night-shift permissions to a trust-and-verify regime: your checklists now need explicit consent logs, transport rosters with GPS trails, driver/background verifications, CCTV retention policies, and POSH documentation (ICC constitution, training, disclosures). Contracting models should ensure contractors mirror these safeguards and that consent and transport obligations extend to contract labour. Keep a renewal docket since approvals lapse after one year, and maintain evidence of online self-certification to demonstrate ongoing compliance during inspections.
Zooming out, Haryana’s move aligns with similar policy pushes across states to expand women’s work hours with guardrails (e.g., Odisha and West Bengal draft frameworks in Aug–Jul 2025), signalling a wider ‘safe-to-operate at night’ standard for retail, logistics, IT/ITeS and hospitality. Risk areas to watch: gaps between policy and ground logistics (late-night vehicle availability, last-mile safety), data-privacy handling of GPS/driver data, and shift-pattern fatigue. Immediate action: update night-shift SOPs, contractor clauses, and incident-response playbooks; run a POSH + night-safety drill before rolling out.
Sources:
• Haryana Government Gazette—Notification on employing women during night shifts (Shops & Commercial Establishments) — Govt. of Haryana — Oct 13, 2025.
storage.hrylabour.gov.in
• Exemption notification… auto-mode on self-certification (female contract labour) — Govt. of Haryana (Gazette/portal listing) — Oct 8–14, 2025.
storage.hrylabour.gov.in
+1
• Govt allows women to work night shifts, but with riders — Times of India (Odisha context) — Aug 5, 2025.
The Times of India
• Can’t mandate night shift for women… — Times of India (West Bengal draft policy) — Jul 31, 2025.
The Times of India
Discussion questions:
What gaps do you see between these conditions on paper and your site-level reality after 10 pm?
How will you evidence compliance (consent, transport GPS trails, CCTV logs) without over-collecting personal data?
What clause will you add to contractor MSAs to ensure they meet identical night-shift safeguards?
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Employment Of Women In Haryana Factories During Night Shifts.pdf