Office, branch and partner-bank calendars
Head office and branch offices share national holidays and add the festivals of their state. Bancassurance staff are different: they sit in a bank branch that closes on the second and fourth Saturday and on bank holidays, and they cannot work when it is shut. Tag the bank holidays to a bancassurance department, and give that team's shift the same Saturday rule as the partner bank. If you work with two banks whose lists differ slightly, keep a department per partner so each holiday lands only where it belongs.
Holidays on round-the-clock desks
Cashless approval desks, claims helplines and emergency assistance run on every holiday of the year. Build a festival duty roster at the start of the year, rotating Diwali, Holi, Eid and Christmas so the same people do not work every festival. Staff on duty earn comp-off or holiday overtime at the multiplier you set, and the roster should name who is on each holiday rather than show a headcount.
Year-end days that ignore the calendar
In the last days of March, sales branches and policy issuance teams often work through a weekend or a holiday so that proposals and premium are received before the financial year closes. Announce these working days early, record them as holiday work rather than informal favours, and give comp-off after the rush. Brokers face a similar crunch before 1 April, a common renewal date for corporate group health and property policies.
Optional holidays and a pick limit
A national insurer's staff celebrate everything from Bihu to Onam to Guru Nanak Jayanti. Rather than extending every branch list, offer optional holidays and cap how many each person picks in a year, commonly two or three, with choices made early in the year. Managers of claims and telesales desks should check the picks report before building rosters, because an optional holiday taken by half the night team is a staffing problem, not a personal choice.
How to set it up in ZeniaHR
- Create the year in Holiday Calendars, apply each state festival only to branches located in that state, and apply bank holidays to the bancassurance department.
- Give the bancassurance shift a second and fourth Saturday weekly off to match the partner bank, while branch office shifts keep their own pattern.
- Roster claims and service desks for every holiday in Shifts & Roster, rotating festival duty across the team.
- Decide what holiday duty earns: a holiday overtime multiplier of at least two in the overtime policy, or comp-off credited by HR.
- Set the optional holiday pick limit, then give desk managers the optional holiday picks report before they lock their rosters.
Read more about holiday calendars in ZeniaHR.
Roles this applies to
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Do bancassurance staff follow bank holidays?
In practice, yes. They work inside a partner bank branch and cannot sell when it is closed, so their holidays and weekly offs follow that bank, including the second and fourth Saturday closures. In ZeniaHR, tag bank holidays to the bancassurance department and set the matching Saturday rule on their shift.
How do insurers staff claims desks on festivals?
They roster festival duty when the year begins and rotate it, so the same processors do not work every Diwali and Eid. Staff on holiday duty earn comp-off or holiday overtime at the multiplier set in the overtime policy. Optional holiday picks are checked before the roster is finalised.
What is an optional holiday in an insurance company?
An optional holiday is a festival day that each employee may choose to take, up to a yearly limit, instead of the whole office closing. It suits insurers with staff from many states. Employees pick from a list in self-service, and managers see the picks in advance so desks stay covered.