1. Working Days & Weekend Bridging Rule
- Zemuria follows a 5‑day work week (Monday to Friday).
- Saturday and Sunday are weekly offs.
1.1 Sandwich / Bridging Leave Rule
To discourage misuse of weekends for extended breaks without adequate leave balance:- If an employee applies leave on both Friday and the following Monday, the leave will be counted as 4 days:
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
- Monday
Clarifications
- Leave only on Friday → counts as 1 day
- Leave only on Monday → counts as 1 day
- Leave on Friday + Monday → counts as 4 days
2. Leave Categories
Zemuria recognizes the following leave types:- Paid Time Off (PTO / Casual Leave)
- Sick Leave (SL)
- Earned Leave (EL) – applicable after completion of 1 year
3. Leave Entitlement – Freshers (0–12 months)
3.1 Annual Allocation
For employees in their first year of employment:- PTO / Casual Leave: 12 days per year
- Sick Leave: 12 days per year
3.2 Monthly Accrual (Prorated)
- PTO: 1 day per month
- Sick Leave: 1 day per month
Example:Unused leaves carry forward within the same year only.
- January balance: 2 leaves (1 PTO + 1 SL)
- February balance (unused Jan): 4 leaves
3.3 Exceeding Accrued Leaves
- If an employee takes more leave than accrued for that month/year:
- Excess days will be treated as Loss of Pay (LOP)
4. Leave Entitlement – Employees After 1 Year (Confirmed Employees)
Upon completing 12 months of continuous service, employees become eligible for Earned Leave.4.1 Annual Allocation
- PTO / Casual Leave: 12 days per year
- Sick Leave: 12 days per year
- Earned Leave: 12 days per year
4.2 Monthly Accrual
- PTO: 1 day/month
- Sick Leave: 1 day/month
- Earned Leave: 1 day/month
5. Planned Leave Rules
5.1 Short Planned Leave (1–2 continuous days)
- Must be applied at least 7 calendar days in advance
- Subject to manager approval
5.2 Medium Planned Leave (3–15 continuous days)
- Must be applied at least 30 days in advance
- Employee may combine PTO, Sick Leave, and Earned Leave
- Approval subject to project timelines and team capacity
5.3 Long Planned Leave (More than 15 continuous days)
Given Zemuria’s venture studio operating model and dependency on key personnel:- Any planned leave exceeding 15 continuous calendar days requires:
- Minimum 90 days (3 months) prior written notice
- Detailed handover plan
- Explicit managerial and leadership approval
- Partial approval
- Rescheduling of leave
- Conversion of excess days to Loss of Pay (LOP) at management discretion
5.4 Sandwich Rule Applicability for Long Leaves
For extended leave periods:- All intervening weekends (Saturday & Sunday) are counted as leave days
- Any Friday–Monday combination within the leave window will trigger the sandwich rule
Example: Leave from Thursday to following Wednesday:
- Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
- All 7 days are counted as leave
6. Sick Leave & Emergency Leave Policy
6.1 Immediate Sick Leave
- Sick Leave can be availed on the same day without prior approval
- Applicable for genuine illness or medical emergencies
6.2 Multiple-Day Sick Leave (Documentation Requirements)
To balance employee trust with workplace health and safety, documentation requirements are tiered as follows:- Up to 2 continuous working days:
- No mandatory medical documentation required.
- Employee may self-declare illness.
- More than 1 working day (i.e., 2nd day onward):
- Employee must submit doctor’s prescription or medical diagnosis indicating the nature of illness.
- More than 2 continuous working days:
- Mandatory submission of:
- Doctor’s prescription / diagnosis
- Medical Fitness Certificate clearly stating that the employee is fit to return to work
- Mandatory submission of:
7. Holiday Treatment During Leave Periods
7.1 National & State-Notified Holidays
- National holidays (e.g., Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti) and state-notified public/festival holidays are statutory holidays.
- These holidays will NOT be counted as leave days, even if they fall within a continuous or long leave period.
- Such days are treated as paid holidays by default and do not reduce any leave balance.
7.2 Company-Declared Optional / Floating Holidays
Zemuria may declare certain optional or floating holidays (for example, religious or cultural observances applicable to specific groups). Rules for optional/floating holidays:- If an employee opts to observe an optional/floating holiday as a standalone day, it is treated as a company holiday.
- If an optional/floating holiday falls within a continuous leave window (planned or long leave):
- It WILL be counted as a leave day, irrespective of the employee’s religion or personal affiliation.
7.3 Weekends
- All intervening Saturdays and Sundays falling within a continuous leave window are counted as leave days, as per the sandwich and long-leave rules.
8. Leave Accumulation & Carry Forward
8.1 PTO & Sick Leave
- Cannot be carried forward to the next calendar year
- Unused leave balance is paid out in the January payroll of the following calendar year
8.2 Earned Leave
- Earned Leave accrues at 1 day per month after completion of 12 months of service
- Earned Leave may be carried forward subject to a maximum balance of 24 days
- Once the balance reaches 24 days, no further Earned Leave will accrue until the balance reduces
Earned Leave is designed for long‑term life events such as marriage, extended vacations, or personal sabbaticals.
9. Year‑End Leave Encashment
At the end of each calendar year:- Unused PTO will be encashed based on the employee’s pay grade
- Unused Sick Leave will also be encashed as a wellness incentive
- Encashment will be paid along with January payroll of the following calendar year
PTO and Sick Leave cannot be rolled over, only encashed.
9.1 On Exit / Separation
Upon resignation, termination, or separation:- Earned Leave (EL):
- Only EL is encashed on exit
- Encashable EL is capped at a maximum of 24 days
- Any Earned Leave beyond the cap shall lapse without encashment
- PTO / Casual Leave: Not encashed on exit; unused balance lapses
- Sick Leave: Not encashed on exit; unused balance lapses
- Compensatory Off (if any): Not encashed on exit; unused balance lapses
10. Loss of Pay (LOP)
- Leave taken beyond available balance will be treated as LOP
- LOP directly impacts monthly salary
11. Governance & Final Authority
- All leave approvals are subject to manager discretion
- Zemuria reserves the right to revise this policy to align with:
- Indian labour laws
- Business requirements
- Operational realities