The firm list and the Saturday question
Start with national holidays and the main festivals of your city, applied to each office if you have more than one. Then decide Saturdays, which matter more to staff than any single festival. Many firms keep the second and fourth Saturday off, or alternate Saturdays, and open every Saturday in filing season. Put the Saturday rule on the shift, and switch a season shift in for those weeks instead of editing the holiday list back and forth.
When the client's calendar wins
An audit team at a client's factory works when the factory works. If the client is open on a day the firm has a holiday, the team may be asked to work it, and that day should be treated as holiday work with comp-off, not quietly absorbed. The reverse also happens: a client closed for its own festival sends the team back to the office for file review. Engagement managers should note such days when they approve on duty requests.
Festivals inside the filing season
When a festival falls in the middle of a deadline, staff need to know well in advance whether the office will open. Announce it at the start of the year: for example, the office closes on Diwali and the day after, and opens on the Sunday before to make up the time. Staff who come in on a holiday earn comp-off. Surprises about festival working damage goodwill far more than the working itself.
Optional holidays in a mixed team
Professional firms hire from across the country. A Tamil associate wants Pongal, a Bengali article wants Durga Puja Ashtami and a Malayali consultant wants Vishu, and none of these is on a Mumbai firm's list. Offer optional holidays with a limit of two or three a year, and ask staff to choose early. Engagement managers can then plan staffing around the picks instead of discovering them a week before.
How to set it up in ZeniaHR
- Enter national holidays and city festivals in Holiday Calendars, marking fixed-date ones as recurring and applying each to the right office.
- Set the Saturday rule on the office shift, such as second and fourth Saturday off, and create a season shift with every Saturday working.
- Assign the season shift in bulk for the filing and audit weeks, then move teams back to the office shift when the season ends.
- List optional holidays, cap the picks at two or three a year, and remind staff in January to choose theirs in self-service.
- Decide what holiday work earns, comp-off credited by HR or holiday overtime at a multiplier of two or more, and publish the rule with the calendar.
Read more about holiday calendars in ZeniaHR.
Roles this applies to
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Do CA firms work on Saturdays?
Many CA firms work alternate Saturdays or give the second and fourth Saturday off for most of the year, then work every Saturday in the filing and audit seasons. Whatever the pattern, write it down and set it on the shift, so leave and attendance treat Saturdays the same way for everyone.
Do audit staff get holidays when working at a client site?
They follow the firm's holiday list, but a client may be open on a firm holiday when the audit must continue. Treat that day as holiday work and give comp-off. If the client is closed on a firm working day, the team returns to the office or works on file review.
How many optional holidays should a professional firm give?
Two or three a year is common. Optional holidays let staff from different states and faiths take their own festivals without closing the office. Ask staff to choose early in the year, so engagement managers can plan client work around the picks.