To enhance the work-life balance of its government employees, the Sikkim Government has declared the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month as official holidays. This new policy was announced through a circular released by the Department of Personnel.
As per the circular, endorsed by the Sikkim Government Secretary, all government offices will operate from 10 am to 4:30 pm on working days. The change addresses concerns about employees frequently arriving late and leaving early, which has disrupted government functions and caused inconvenience to the public.
“Recently, it has been observed that numerous government employees report for duty very late in the morning and leave the office much earlier than scheduled in the evening,” the circular noted. “This behavior hinders the execution of the government’s development-oriented policies and programs.”
To ensure punctuality, the circular stipulates that department heads will conduct surprise attendance checks and regular inspections. Employees arriving after 10:30 am or leaving before 4:30 pm without valid reasons will incur a half-day casual leave deduction. Those absent without recorded leave will face a full day’s casual leave deduction.
Furthermore, the circular advises against submitting leave applications via SMS or WhatsApp, asserting on the need for proper paper applications.
