Leave the sandwich leave rule in the bin

In what is almost sure to be a (successful) PR exercise for a Bengaluru-based HR company, an employee set the pigeon among the cats when she defended that old nugget from the zamindari era: the 'sandwich leave' rule, HR's gourmet contribution to workplace absurdity. For the uninitiated, this delicacy dictates that if you take leave on Friday and Monday, the weekend in between magically transforms into paid leave. Because, apparently, your personal time is a corporate croissant - flaky, and up for grabs.

Let's dissect this Hogwarts hogwash, shall we? If you're absent on two non-consecutive workdays, how does that make Saturday and Sunday guilty by association? Is your weekend now a fugitive, hiding from productivity? Some HR rule from Qutb-ud-din Aibak's time claims the sandwich leave rule prevents 'leave misuse'. Misuse? It's not embezzling PF. If anything, sandwich leave punishes strategic rest. No wonder it's a lingering sore from the Slave Dynasty. Ultimately, the 'rule' (sic) is less policy, more passive-aggressive poetry. An HR haiku that reads: 'You took two days off/ The sky is a gold leaf for shaking/ Murmur weekends into your laptop.' So, dear HR boffin looking for a raise, if you want to foster trust, start by binning this stale sandwich. It's not nourishing anyone - except maybe your inner control freak who needs therapy, on weekdays.