> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://library.zemuria.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# 9.1 Holidays

## 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

This rule applies across all leave types (PTO, Sick Leave, Earned Leave).

## 2. Leave Categories

Zemuria recognizes the following leave types:

1. Paid Time Off (PTO / Casual Leave)
2. Sick Leave (SL)
3. 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

**Total:** 24 days per year

### 3.2 Monthly Accrual (Prorated)

* PTO: **1 day per month**
* Sick Leave: **1 day per month**

> Example:
>
> * January balance: 2 leaves (1 PTO + 1 SL)
> * February balance (unused Jan): 4 leaves

Unused leaves carry forward within the same year only.

### 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

**Total:** 36 days per year

### 4.2 Monthly Accrual

* PTO: 1 day/month
* Sick Leave: 1 day/month
* Earned Leave: 1 day/month

Total monthly accrual: **3 days**

## 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

Failure to provide sufficient notice may result in:

* 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:
    1. Doctor’s prescription / diagnosis
    2. Medical Fitness Certificate clearly stating that the employee is *fit to return to work*

The fitness-to-return requirement is to ensure employee recovery and to prevent health risks to teammates.

There is no prior notice requirement for sick leave.

## 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.

This ensures consistency and prevents selective exclusion during extended absences.

### 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

Encashment on exit shall be calculated on Basic Pay only, excluding allowances, bonuses, incentives, or variable pay, and shall be settled as part of the final full-and-final settlement.

## 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