How to prepare a holiday calendar

Start from the rules that apply to you

Before choosing holidays, check what your state's rules require for your type of establishment, including its national and festival holiday rules and the conditions of your Shops and Establishments or factory registration. State governments publish their holiday lists for the coming year, usually toward the end of the current year, and some festival dates follow the lunar calendar and are confirmed only then. Build a draft in October and check the dates against the state notifications once they are out.

Choose the holidays

A company calendar usually combines three layers. National holidays: Republic Day on 26 January, Independence Day on 15 August and Gandhi Jayanti on 2 October. Festival holidays that matter to your workforce, such as Holi, Eid, Diwali and Christmas. Regional holidays for each state: Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Onam in Kerala, Durga Puja in West Bengal, Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra, Bihu in Assam and Chhath in Bihar. Balance the list across the communities in your team, and use optional holidays for festivals that matter to some staff but not all.

Branch-wise lists: an example

A company with offices in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata cannot use one list. Suppose it gives 10 fixed holidays a year: the three national holidays, Holi, two days of Diwali, Christmas and three regional holidays per branch. Mumbai gets Gudi Padwa, Maharashtra Day and Ganesh Chaturthi; Chennai gets Pongal, Tamil New Year and Ayudha Puja; Kolkata gets Bengali New Year and two days of Durga Puja. Everyone gets 10, but the regional days differ, and each branch's list is the one its attendance and payroll use. Staff who travel between branches follow the list of the branch they are attached to.

Publish early and handle changes

The earlier the calendar is out, the fewer leave clashes and roster changes you face during the year. Publish it once, with branch-wise lists and clear rules, and change it only when a date moves by government notification or a genuine business need.

• Publish by November or early December for the next year.
• Show which holidays apply to which branch, and which are optional.
• State the rule when a holiday falls on a weekly off: no substitute, or a substitute day.
• If a festival date moves after publication, announce the change as early as possible.
• Share the calendar in the employee app and on the notice board, not only by email.

Step by step

1. Check state holiday rules. For each state where you have staff, check the holiday rules and your Shops and Establishments or factory registration for the holidays you must give.
2. Draft the national and festival list. Start with the national holidays, add the main festivals your workforce celebrates, and mark dates that depend on the lunar calendar.
3. Add regional holidays per branch. Add each state's key regional holidays for the branches there, keeping the total number of fixed holidays the same across branches.
4. Decide optional holidays and the limit. Choose the festivals to offer as optional holidays and how many each employee may pick during the year.
5. Enter the calendar in your system. Put the holidays where attendance is graded and payroll runs. ZeniaHR's Holiday Calendars hold holidays by year in six categories, each applied to chosen branches and departments, with recurring yearly holidays.
6. Check rosters and leave around holidays. Review shift rosters for holiday cover and check how the sandwich rule treats long weekends. In ZeniaHR, holidays feed attendance, leave sandwich rules and payroll.
7. Publish by early December. Share the calendar with every employee, showing the list for their branch and the optional holidays they can pick.

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