Sandwich Leave is one of the most confusing policies that create trouble in employees’ minds. Employees working long hours are allowed to take a few leaves weekly or monthly on account of public holidays. They often plan to attain casual leave between two paid holidays to create an extended leave.
The sandwich leave policy restricts employees from taking casual leave on a day that is surrounded by public holidays. Otherwise, leave days and public holidays are considered part of the personal leave count.
Besides, the policy allows an organization to design a planned leave system by eliminating employee mass absenteeism.
Let’s uncover the horizons and discuss the sandwich leave policy, its advantages, and how it works.
What is Sandwich Leave?
Sandwich, in general, means to put something between two similar things. According to labour law in India, sandwich leave refers to one or more days considered off between two public, national or paid holidays.
For example, if an employee takes two leaves on Friday and consecutive Mondays, the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) following the Friday is considered the sandwich leave. On the other hand, if employees take one or more leaves between two public holidays, this will also be considered sandwich leave.
What is Sandwich Leave Policy?
A Sandwich Leave Policy is a set of rules and policies restricting employees from taking leave for a day or days between national /public holidays. If any employee takes a personal leave between the public holidays, the mentioned holidays will be considered underpaid, and the leave balance will be deducted.
Besides public holidays, the company can cut the leave balance for Saturday and Sunday of any random week if any employee takes two leaves on Friday and Monday.
The sandwich policy was developed for factory workers to eliminate employee turnover and increase engagement. At the same time, it curbs the mass absence of workers, reflecting lower productivity. If casual leaves are concerned under the sandwich policy, the company will notify the employees through the leave management system.
What is an Example of a Sandwich Policy?
Let’s take two scenarios as an example of the Sandwich Leave Policy.
- If an employee takes two leaves on Friday and the consecutive Monday, then weekends are considered as paid leave instead of earned holidays.
- If an employee takes a leave in between two consecutive holidays, then the leave day, along with the holidays, is considered sandwich leave. Employees have to pay for the consecutive three days( Two holidays and a paid leave)
What is the Rule of Sandwich Leave?
There are no certain rules and restrictions on the sandwich leave policy in India. According to government labour laws and policies, employees can avail of a minimum of 15 days of paid leave or every 1.5 days of paid leave for every 20 days of work hours provided by their company. Besides, the announcement of paid leave details, there is nothing to be mentioned about the sandwich leaves in government policy.
However, companies can arrange the policy individually to deter long leaves or prevent employee absenteeism. In general, leave policies differ from state to state. It is essential for companies to understand the laws and compliances of each state and introduce the sandwich leave policy.
If the sandwich leave policy is not mentioned in the employment contract and companies still enforce it, the employees may raise their voices against it and contact management as well.
Sandwich Leave Policy Act of India 2024
There isn’t a specific “Sandwich Leave Policy Act” in India; various labour laws and company policies often address the concept. Employees and employers should be aware of these regulations and guidelines to ensure compliance and smooth integration during employment. Companies can customize the sandwich leave policy based on urgency, preventing employee absenteeism.
It is essential to make employees aware of the policy during the employee hiring process before enforcing it.
Advantages of Sandwich Leave Policy
Integrating the Sandwich Leave Policy is indeed challenging. Employees can commend the company for implementing the policy or offer constructive criticism.
We will discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of implementing the sandwich leave policy within the organization. Let’s dig into the following points in detail.
1. Improved Productivity
According to the Labour Law in India, adult workers can take two days of leave for every twenty days of work. However, in many organizations, employees misuse this right by taking leaves on days surrounded by public holidays or marking themselves absent on Fridays and Mondays of any consecutive week. This mass banking of employees leads to less productivity and employee turnover.
However, the sandwich leave policy ensures that companies correctly club their time off and paid leaves as per the policy. It allows employees to take sandwich leaves by informing their employers.
Moreover, the policy allows companies to eliminate unscheduled leaves taken by employees and enhance employee engagement, ultimately benefiting productivity.
2. Reduces Absenteeism
Without a Sandwich Leave Policy, employees took more than one paid or unpaid leave between two public holidays to extend their holiday duration. This resulted in mass employee absenteeism during the same period, which affected productivity overall.
The sandwich rule is one effective way to reduce absenteeism. By implementing the policy, employers can provide options for planned breaks, and employees are less likely to take unscheduled leave. This results in minimum absenteeism and more employee engagement.
3. Cost Saving
It is standard that employees feel burned out and take leave to get a good restart. They plan for paid leave surrounding public holidays to extend their time off. In this scenario, employers face mass absenteeism as many workers take leave around the same time. Maintaining cost-effectiveness and productivity can become challenging.
Implementing the sandwich leave policy can be a one-time solution to minimizing employee absenteeism. The policy restricts employees from taking leaves between two public holidays and ensures planned breaks for employees. Moreover, it minimizes mass employee time off and reduces the likelihood of unplanned absences and sudden leave, which distort employee workflow and productivity.
4. Positive Company Image
Companies lose their reputation due to irregular workforces, absenteeism, lower productivity, employee turnover, and many other reasons. Employers face issues when employees randomly plan for sandwich leaves, affecting productivity. The company image also gets affected.
The sandwich leaves policy allows employers to curb employees’ mass absenteeism. It schedules a planned leave policy, which ensures balanced employee well-being and maintains employers’ branding and company reputation.
5. Legal Protection
The Sandwich Leave Policy introduces Indian labour laws and related regulations regarding employees’ rights to apply for leave. Under the policy, employees can take necessary breaks or apply for planned leave without fearing discrimination.
On the other hand, employers get relief from fear of employee turnover, less productivity, or the risk of potential disputes related to leave entitlement.
6. Employee Retention
A fair evaluation of employees’ performance enhances the employee retention rate. Employee Sandwich’s leave policy ensures that employees deserve recognition and rewards that motivate their enthusiasm to work.
It highlights the scheduled leave planner for the employees so they need not randomly take sudden surprise sandwich leave. Moreover, it provides flexibility in the workforce so the employees are motivated and assist in company productivity.
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How to Manage Sandwich Leave Policy For Employee
Sandwich leaves are a type of leave that occurs between public /national holidays. Integrating and maintaining the policy within the workforce can be a big deal for the organization, as employees may complement the company’s decision or voice their policy concerns.
On the other hand, for employers, integrating the policy within the workforce can be a one-stop solution to reducing employee absenteeism. The sandwich leave structure also ensures a planned leave structure, enhancing employee engagement and maintaining high company productivity.
Here are the following factors for managing sandwich leave policies in the workforce that employers can prepare to implement.
➔ Create Right Policies
If the company plans to implement the sandwich leave policy, it would be best if management clearly defined it in the employee handbook or policy document. In addition, employees should be made aware of eligibility criteria, duration of leave, required documentation, and request or approval of the leave process.
➔ Streamline Communication
Communication is one of the primary keys to spreading awareness of the sandwich leave policies within the workplace. Besides conveying during onboarding, organizations can communicate through email, meetings, or training sessions. The primary purpose of maintaining sound communication is to provide information on how to apply for sandwich leaves, how to process them, and whom to contact for assistance. Employers can deploy an attendance management system to streamline employee communication.
➔ Maintain Documentation
Employers often find it difficult to determine who is taking sandwich leave and who isn’t. Proper documentation of employee sandwich leave requests and approvals is an excellent way to maintain transparency in employee-employer bonding. Documentation can be done through an HRMS or a simple leave application form.
Moreover, keeping a record of employee sandwich leaves can also be counted as a future reference.
➔ Track Authority
Acknowledging employees’ authority to handle leave requests helps maintain transparency between employees and employers before integrating sandwich leave requests into the workforce.
It is also essential to keep managers aware of tracking and monitoring sandwich leave usage to manage the workload and scheduling effectively. HR can assist the managers in tracking leave balances and history.
➔ Review and Update
Labour laws and regulations are updated regularly. So, reviewing the sandwich leave policy at every interval ensures that the organization meets its changing needs and remains compliant with labour laws.
FAQs on Sandwich Leave Policy
1. Is Sandwich Leave Policy Legal?
There are no legal restrictions or provisions related to the sandwich leave policy. Organizations or employers can customize or introduce the policy according to personal growth and development choices.
During onboarding, employees should recheck whether the company follows the policy in the employment contract. If the policy exists, employers can club time off and public holidays together and deduct them from the leave balance. Employees should contact HR for the terms and policies if the company doesn’t mention any policy.
2. Is Sunday included in Casual Leave?
No, Sunday is not included as casual leave. It is under the employee’s earned leave. However, if workers take leaves on adjoining days, Saturday, Monday, and Sunday they can be considered Sandwich Leaves.
3. Are Saturday and Sunday counted as Earned leave?
Yes, the Saturday and Sunday are counted as the earned leave.
4. Is Sunday counted as leave?
Sunday is counted as earned leave. Employees get Sunday and Saturday as earned leaves.
Employees taking leaves on adjoining days, i.e., Saturday, Monday, and Sunday, can be considered Sandwich Leaves.
5. Who invented the Sandwich Lave Policy?
The Sandwich Leave Policy, also known as sandwich generation leave or caregiver leave, emerged during the commencement of the round-the-clock shift arrangement. Though the term’ sandwich leave policy’ is new, the concept has historical roots tied to the evolution of labour laws and other workplace benefits.
The policy has been implemented in various countries around the world but will soon be implemented in Sweden, Denmark, and Canada. Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Denmark have long been recognized for their family-friendly policies, including generous parental leave and support for caregivers.
On the other hand, Canada has implemented various programs to support employees in balancing work and caregiving responsibilities, such as compassionate care leave and flexible work arrangements.
6. Is the Sandwich Policy legal in India?
Yes, the Sandwich Policy is legal in India. It is not covered by any government labour laws. Companies can introduce the policy as per their requirements. If a company arranges a sandwich leave policy in their organization, the policy details should be notified in the employment contract. Otherwise, employees can take any legal step against it.
7. Can Casual Leave(CL) be Sandwiched?
Any public holidays or earned leave are converted to casual leave(CL) or paid leave (PL) whenever they are considered sandwich leave. If employees don’t have enough paid leave balance, the company cuts it from their monthly salary.
