How it works
- On each shift, HR ticks the weekly off days, such as Sunday, and picks a Saturday rule. The pattern is written out as a sentence on the shift list.
- For every other Saturday, HR picks the first Saturday off as the start date, and the pattern alternates from there.
- For one person, HR sets a personal weekly off from a date, with an optional note, such as Tuesday off for a store manager.
- For a single date, HR rosters OFF for that person, which wins over both the shift pattern and the personal weekly off.
- ZeniaHR settles each day in this order: roster entry, then personal weekly off, then the default shift's pattern.
- Weekly offs then feed attendance grading, the rest-day sandwich rule, overtime multipliers and comp-off.
What you can set
- Weekly off days: any of Sunday to Saturday.
- Saturday rule: none, 1st and 3rd, 2nd and 4th, 2nd, 4th and 5th, or every other Saturday.
- Every other Saturday: needs the first Saturday off as its start date.
- Personal weekly off: per employee, from a date, with a note; removing it returns the person to the shift's pattern.
- OFF on the roster: a weekly off for one person on one date.
- Without a roster, Sunday is the weekly off for everyone.
- Work on a weekly off: overtime at the weekly-off multiplier or comp-off, as your overtime and leave rules say.
Why weekly offs need rules, not a calendar
Indian employers give Saturdays off in many ways: the 2nd and 4th, the 1st and 3rd, alternate Saturdays, or none at all. Retail stores and hospitals need people on Sundays and give a weekday off instead. Marking these by hand every month invites mistakes that turn into wrong absent days or unpaid rest days. A pattern on the shift, with personal exceptions where needed, gets every month right without anyone touching a calendar.
Worked example: December 2026 at a Mumbai retail company
The head office of a Mumbai retail company works the General shift with Sunday off and the 2nd and 4th Saturdays off. In December 2026 the Saturdays fall on the 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th, so the 12th and 26th are off, along with the Sundays on the 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th. That makes 6 weekly offs and 25 working days before holidays. Christmas on Friday 25 December comes from the holiday calendar, leaving 24 days to be worked.
The company's Andheri store manager, Rakesh Gupta, must work Sundays, so HR sets a personal weekly off on Tuesday from 1 December. When stock-taking falls on Tuesday 15 December, HR rosters him on the General shift for that date and OFF on Wednesday 16 December. The roster entries win over his personal weekly off, so Tuesday is a normal working day, not weekly-off work, and he still gets his rest day that week.
Getting weekly offs right
Weekly offs touch pay in more ways than they seem to, through the sandwich rule, overtime on rest days and comp-off. Decide the pattern with the people who run each team, then let the shift carry it instead of fixing days by hand every month.
- Put the usual pattern on the shift and use personal weekly offs only for real exceptions.
- For every other Saturday, pick a start Saturday that really was off, or the pattern will run a week out.
- Decide in the attendance rules whether a rest day between two absences is paid, and tell staff.
- Decide whether weekly-off work earns comp-off or overtime pay, so it is never paid twice.
See weekly off rules in a demo
We show it on a video call with your own shifts, leave types and rules. Free for your first 50 employees.
Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
How do I set 2nd and 4th Saturday off in ZeniaHR?
Open the shift in Shifts and Roster, tick Sunday as the weekly off and pick the Saturday rule 2nd and 4th. Everyone on that shift then gets those Saturdays off every month, with no calendar work. The other Saturday rules on offer are 1st and 3rd, 2nd, 4th and 5th, and every other Saturday.
Can one employee have a different weekly off from the rest of the shift?
Yes. HR sets a personal weekly off for that employee from a chosen date, such as Tuesday for a store manager who works Sundays. It applies until HR removes it, and a roster entry for a single date still wins over it when plans change.
What happens if someone works on their weekly off?
The day stays a paid weekly off and the hours worked are recorded. Depending on your settings, those hours become an overtime request paid at the weekly-off multiplier, or they earn comp-off under the comp-off leave rules. When comp-off is earned automatically, those days are not also counted as overtime.