Swiggy employees get Monday off if national holiday falls on weekend, says AVP Saptarshi Prakash

Swiggy's leave policy has attracted attention after senior design executive Saptarshi Prakash revealed that employees get the following Monday off when a mandatory public holiday falls on a weekend.

Prakash, assistant vice president and head of design at Swiggy, Dineout, Toing and Crew, shared the detail in a LinkedIn post on Monday. Having spent more than eight years at the company, he said the arrangement had changed how he spent the start of the week, allowing him to take a walk with his daughter instead of dealing with the usual Monday rush.

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Swiggy executive calls policy underrated

Prakash described the benefit as one of the "most underrated things" about working at Swiggy.

In his LinkedIn post, he wrote:

"This is one of the most underrated things about working at Swiggy.

"If a mandatory holiday falls on the weekend, the following Monday is a holiday. So this morning was for a slow walk with my daughter, instead of the usual Monday rush

"I have always felt that these small thoughtful policies often mean more in everyday life, than the grand gestures companies tend to talk about.

"Today, this one meant a little more time with her"

The post highlighted a distinction between Swiggy's reported policy and the compensatory leave, or "comp off", commonly provided by companies.

How the holiday arrangement differs from comp off

Compensatory leave generally applies when employees are required to work beyond their normal schedule, including on weekends, public holidays or scheduled days off. HR platform Taggd describes comp off as paid leave granted for such additional work, with employees usually able to use it later according to their organisation's rules and approval process.

The arrangement described by Prakash works differently. Employees do not have to work through a public holiday to qualify for the Monday break. Instead, when a mandatory holiday falls on a weekend, the day off is shifted to the following Monday.

This effectively ensures that employees do not lose the holiday because it coincides with their weekend.

Reactions to his post

The post also prompted calls for similar practices elsewhere. One LinkedIn user wrote, "This should be a nation-wide policy," while drawing a comparison with the US, where some holidays are observed on Mondays and employees are often compensated when holidays tied to specific dates fall on weekends.

Another user wrote, "Where companies try to halve 5% appraisals, force employees back to the office, and stretch work till 11 PM in the name of client priorities, it’s refreshing to see Swiggy showing that employee wellbeing still matter."

Third user wrote,"Not because they sound impressive in a company handbook, but because they give you something you can’t get back, time with your family."

Fourth user commented," Hard agree on this! Specially days like independence day, especially in times like these when so many countries are fighting for their autonomy. Giving people time with their families, time to actually enjoy the day being celebrated! So glad Swiggy has this culture!"

Fifth user praised the policy and said "The best workplace policies aren't always the flashy ones. they're the ones that quietly give people back something valuable: time. A slow Monday with your daughter sounds like a pretty meaningful benefit."

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What labour laws say about holidays

The discussion around Swiggy's policy also brought attention to statutory provisions concerning weekly holidays and work on public holidays.

Labour law experts quoted by ET said weekly holidays are a statutory right and not simply a benefit granted at an employer's discretion. The Weekly Holidays Act, 1942, along with other labour regulations, requires employees to receive regular days of rest.

Employees who work on public holidays or weekly offs are generally entitled to compensatory leave or additional wages, depending on the circumstances and the laws applicable to them.

The Economic Times report further noted that employees generally cannot be required to work on Sundays or public holidays without consent, particularly when there is no arrangement for compensatory leave or extra pay.

Under the Factories Act and provisions of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, employees asked to work on designated rest days are entitled to compensatory time off or double wages, depending on the circumstances and applicable laws.