1. Sikkim government declares 2nd and 4th Saturdays as official holidays.
2. Aimed at improving work-life balance for government employees.
3. Circular issued by the Department of Personnel outlines the new policy.
Gangtok, July 12: In a move to enhance work-life balance for government employees, the Government of Sikkim has declared the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month as official holidays.
This new policy was announced in a circular issued today by the Department of Personnel.
Signed by the Secretary to the Government of Sikkim, the circular specifies that government offices will now operate from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM on working days.
This change addresses issues of employees arriving late and leaving early, which have disrupted government operations and inconvenienced the public.
The circular noted, “Lately, it is seen that many government employees are reporting for duty very late in the morning and leaving office much before the scheduled time in the evening. This hampers the implementation of development-oriented policies and programs of the Government.”
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To ensure punctuality, heads of departments are instructed to conduct surprise checks on attendance and perform regular inspections.
Employees arriving after 10:30 AM or leaving before 4:30 PM without valid reasons will have half a day of casual leave deducted.
Absence without proper leave recorded will result in a full day’s casual leave deduction.
Furthermore, the circular discourages submitting leave applications via SMS or WhatsApp, insisting on proper paper applications instead.
