Home leave cycles for site staff
A common EPC practice is the home leave cycle: after a set period at site, such as 90 days, the engineer takes a block of earned leave, often 10 to 15 days, with travel days on either side. Some companies record the travel days as on duty instead of charging them to leave, which staff at distant sites value more than an extra day of leave. Write the cycle into the site posting terms, and plan relief so two engineers from the same discipline are never away at the same time.
Which leave types fit a project company
Keep the standard casual, sick and earned leave with loss of pay, and adjust the rules rather than inventing new types. Earned leave accrues monthly and funds home leave. Casual leave covers short needs at head office but matters less at remote sites, where a single day off rarely gets anyone home. Sick leave can ask for a medical certificate after two or three days, since the site clinic can issue one. Also check the statutory minimum: under the OSH Code leave rules, once a worker completes 180 days of work in a calendar year, paid leave accrues at one day for every 20 days worked.
Freezes around commissioning and shutdowns
The weeks before mechanical completion, and any client shutdown window, need every engineer on site. Announce the freeze early with exact dates, and ask engineers to take home leave before it begins. There is no automatic date block in ZeniaHR, so the freeze lives in two places: an announcement to the site's branch on the Company Wall that each engineer must acknowledge, and the project manager's own check of the team leave calendar before approving anything that overlaps. Real emergencies still get a quick yes, with relief arranged by the project manager.
Sunday work, comp-off and a worked example
Site weeks often stretch into Sundays for a hydro test, a client inspection or a crane that is free only that day. Grant a comp-off for each worked weekly off after checking punches, and let engineers add comp-offs to their home leave, which is how most want to use them. Set an expiry long enough to reach the next home leave, such as 120 days.
Take Arvind at a Barmer solar site, with 13.5 days of earned leave and 3 comp-offs. He takes 12 leave days at home: 9 from earned leave and 3 from comp-off, leaving 4.5 days of earned leave. Choose the sandwich rule mode with such blocks in mind, because if the Sundays inside a long home leave are charged, engineers lose two or three days on every trip.
How to set it up in ZeniaHR
- Keep the default CL, EL and SL types in the Leave Ledger, and ask ZeniaHR support to set the EL carry forward cap high enough for a full home leave.
- Require a document for sick leave after two or three days, and set notice on earned leave so home leave is planned at least two weeks ahead.
- Pick a sandwich rule mode that suits long home leave blocks, and decide whether holidays inside a block count like weekends.
- Grant comp-off for worked Sundays after checking punches, with an expiry that reaches the next home leave cycle.
- Publish commissioning and shutdown freezes on the Company Wall for the site's branch, with acknowledgement required from each engineer.
- Ask project managers to confirm relief on the team leave calendar before approving home leave for any discipline lead.
Read more about leave management in ZeniaHR.
Roles this applies to
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What is home leave in EPC companies?
Home leave is a planned block of leave that site staff take after a set period at a remote site, for example every 90 days, so they can travel home. It usually comes from earned leave, sometimes with travel days treated as on duty. The terms should be written into the site posting letter.
How much leave do EPC site engineers get?
It depends on company policy, but it must at least meet the statutory minimum. The OSH Code floor is one paid day for every 20 days worked, once a worker has put in 180 days of work in the calendar year. Many EPC firms add casual and sick leave and plan earned leave around home leave cycles.
Can leave be refused during commissioning?
A company can restrict planned leave during commissioning or a client shutdown if its policy says so and the dates are announced early. Genuine emergencies should still be allowed, with the project manager arranging relief. Publishing the freeze well ahead lets engineers take their home leave before it starts.
Are travel days counted as leave for site staff?
That is a policy choice. Many EPC companies treat travel to and from a distant site as on duty for a set number of days, especially on transfer or home leave, because the journey itself can take a day or two. Write the number of days into the policy so it is applied the same way to everyone.