Busy eve, quiet festival
Karva Chauth, Diwali, Eid and Christmas eve bring back-to-back bookings late into the night, and the festival day itself is usually the day to close or open late. Many salons close on Diwali and the morning of Holi, and run short hours on Eid and Christmas. Mark closing days as holidays in ZeniaHR only for the branches that close, and roster everyone on the eves, with leave restricted in those weeks.
Weekly closure days
Some salons close one weekday every week, usually the slowest day in that city. That is a weekly off for everyone, not a holiday, and treating it as a holiday confuses the sandwich rule and payroll. Set it as the weekly off in the shift pattern for that branch, and keep Holiday Calendars for festival and national days only.
Optional holidays and comp-off
Staff from different communities want different days: Bihu, Onam, Chhath, Guru Nanak Jayanti or Easter. Give optional holidays with a pick limit of two or three a year and check who picked what before the roster is made, because a branch of six cannot lose two stylists on the same Saturday. When the salon opens on a listed holiday, staff who work it earn comp-off with an expiry, and the credit shows in their leave balance.
Branch lists for a multi-city salon
A salon brand with branches in Kochi, Surat and Delhi handles Onam, Navratri and Chhath differently. Navratri evenings are busy with Garba makeup in Surat, Onam matters most in Kochi, and in Delhi many staff travel home to Bihar for Chhath. Create regional holidays once, tag them to the right branches, mark recurring yearly ones, and plan leave around festivals that take staff out of the city.
How to set it up in ZeniaHR
- Enter festival and national holidays in Holiday Calendars and tag closures to the branches that actually close.
- Set weekly closure days as weekly offs in the branch's shift pattern, not as holidays.
- Set an optional holiday pick limit and review the picks before rostering festival weeks.
- Mark recurring holidays so next year's calendar starts ready, then adjust festival dates.
- Turn on comp-off for staff who work a listed holiday, with an expiry in the leave rules.
Read more about holiday calendars in ZeniaHR.
Roles this applies to
See holiday calendar for salons and spas in a demo
We set up your locations, shifts and rules on a video call and show it running for your team. Free for your first 50 employees.
Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
Are salons open on Diwali?
Many salons close on Diwali itself and stay open late in the days before it, when demand for makeup, hair and mehendi peaks. Some open for a few hours in the morning. Each salon publishes its own list, and anyone rostered on a listed holiday normally gets a comp-off for it.
What is a weekly closure day in a salon?
It is a fixed weekday when the whole salon closes, usually the slowest day of the week in that area. It works as a weekly off for everyone, so set it as the weekly off in the branch's shift pattern rather than as a holiday, which keeps leave and payroll calculations correct.
How do optional holidays work for salon staff?
The salon lists festivals such as Bihu, Onam, Chhath or Easter as optional, and each employee picks up to a set number a year. The manager checks the picks before making the roster, so two stylists are not off on the same busy day, and the picks count as paid holidays.