When a holiday falls on a weekend, Swiggy gives employees Monday off

A workplace policy at Swiggy has drawn attention after a senior executive revealed that employees receive the following Monday off when a mandatory public holiday falls on a weekend.

The practice came into the spotlight through a LinkedIn post by Saptarshi Prakash, Assistant Vice President and Head of Design at Swiggy, Dineout, Toing and Crew. His post resonated widely with professionals, prompting discussions about employee wellbeing, workplace culture, and the value of small but meaningful benefits.

The conversation arrives at a time when many organisations are reassessing employee expectations around flexibility, work-life balance, and workplace experience.

A policy designed to preserve public holidays

Prakash, who has spent more than eight years at Swiggy, described the policy as one of the most underrated aspects of working at the company.

According to his post, when a mandatory public holiday falls on a weekend, employees are granted the following Monday as a holiday.

He shared how the policy gave him additional time with his daughter instead of a typical Monday morning routine, noting that small workplace measures often have a greater day-to-day impact than high-profile corporate initiatives.

The policy effectively ensures employees do not lose the benefit of a public holiday simply because it coincides with a weekend.

LinkedIn users respond positively

The post attracted significant engagement from professionals across industries.

Many users contrasted the policy with broader workplace trends, including stricter return-to-office requirements, long working hours, and pressure on employee benefits.

Several commenters described the approach as employee-friendly and suggested more organisations should consider similar practices.

Among the themes raised by users were:

• The importance of preserving personal and family time
• Growing interest in employee-centric workplace policies
• The role of small benefits in shaping workplace satisfaction
• Comparisons with holiday observance practices in other countries

Some commenters also suggested such arrangements should become more common across workplaces, particularly when public holidays would otherwise be lost due to weekend scheduling.

How the policy differs from traditional comp-off practices

The discussion also highlighted an important distinction between Swiggy's approach and conventional compensatory leave programmes.

In most organisations, compensatory leave is granted when employees work on a holiday, weekend, or designated day off. The leave serves as a substitute for overtime compensation and is generally subject to internal approval processes.

According to definitions cited by HR platform Taggd, comp-off policies typically reward employees for additional work performed during scheduled rest periods.

Swiggy's practice differs because employees are not being compensated for working on a holiday.

Instead, the holiday itself is preserved by shifting the day off to the following Monday when a mandatory public holiday falls on a weekend.

This means employees continue to receive the benefit of the holiday even when the calendar would otherwise reduce its practical value.

Employee experience moves beyond traditional perks

The attention generated by the policy reflects a broader shift in how organisations think about employee experience.

Many employers have traditionally focused on compensation, bonuses, and large-scale benefits programmes when shaping workplace value propositions. Increasingly, however, employees are placing importance on policies that directly affect their daily lives.

Examples include:

• Flexible working arrangements
• Additional leave benefits
• Family-friendly policies
• Wellbeing initiatives
• Time-off practices that improve work-life balance

The response to Prakash's post suggests that relatively simple policy decisions can generate significant goodwill when employees perceive them as practical and meaningful.

Labour laws and holiday entitlements

The online discussion also touched on the legal framework surrounding holidays and rest days in India.

According to labour law experts previously quoted by The Economic Times, weekly holidays are statutory entitlements under various labour regulations, including the Weekly Holidays Act, 1942.

Employees who are required to work on designated holidays or weekly rest days may be entitled to compensatory leave or additional wages, depending on applicable laws and employment conditions.

The provisions are intended to ensure workers receive adequate rest periods while protecting their rights when work requirements extend into scheduled holidays.

Small policies, wider conversations

While Swiggy's holiday practice is a relatively simple workplace measure, the reaction it generated highlights growing interest in how organisations support employee wellbeing beyond compensation.

As companies compete for talent and seek to improve retention, attention is increasingly shifting towards policies that employees experience directly in their everyday lives.

The discussion around Swiggy's approach suggests that preserving time, particularly family and personal time, continues to be a meaningful component of the modern employee experience.