Time-off Policy
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Time-off Policy

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This leave policy is effective from Jun 26, 2025

Why?

Historically, Fyle has not had a leave policy. We trusted people to do what is right by them and the company and self-regulate. If someone wanted time off, it will be granted and this can be figured out between the manager and their report. The intent was "Work hard and play hard".

In the last few years, we've got enough feedback that this isn't working for everyone. Some specific comments were along the lines of:

  1. I feel guilty asking for time off because there's so much stuff on me
  2. My manager never takes off, so I feel weird asking them for time off
  3. Deadlines don't get adjusted when I take time off, so there's increased pressure when I come back
  4. I sometimes get pinged on my days off because people don't know that I'm off

This is not what we intended and we want to fix this.

We recognize the importance of time-off. It is important for a healthy work-life balance and for taking care of oneself and family.

We looked at time-off / vacation policies of a number of startups that are generally known to be employee friendly and studied them. We also spoke to a number of individuals who have experienced different policies elsewhere. We've taken all of these inputs into consideration and come up with a time-off policy that will achieve the following goals:

  1. Make it very explicit that teammates are entitled to certain time-off to recharge. This should remove guilt-factor
  2. Teammates should be able to take care of physical and mental wellness
  3. Include a slack-based tool that will make it very easy to record time-off so that everyone knows when others are off and do not disturb them
  4. Provide insights to managers and People Success team around number of days taken off by their team so that they can nudge folks who don't take enough time off

As with everything we do at Fyle, we will check in after a quarter to see how things are working and fine-tune, if required.

Time-off policy

The Fyle holiday calendar runs from 1st Jan to 31st Dec. There are broadly the following categories of time-off that a full-time employee (FTE) can avail:

  • Earned Leave
  • Sick Leave
  • Mental Wellness Days Off
  • Public Holidays (India and US)
  • Maternity Leave
  • Paternity Leave
  • Sabbatical

We will cover each of them below.

Earned Leave

Everyone needs a break - whether it’s for a vacation, attending a family event, or just taking a breather. Earned Leave is your flexible time off to take care of personal matters, unwind, or recharge. We encourage everyone to plan and take their time off seriously.

  • All full-time employees are entitled to 20 days of earned leave per calendar year.
  • Leave accrues monthly at the rate of 1.67 days per month.
  • This leave can be used for vacations, personal errands, or family time.
  • Leave is prorated for partial-year employees. For example: If you join on September 1st, you’ll get: 4 months × 1.67 ≈ 6.7 → rounded to 7 days for the rest of the year
  • If you’re taking more than 3 days, please get manager approval at least 2 weeks in advance
  • You will be allowed to carry-forward unutilized portion of your earned leave to the following year, provided that the accumulation including the current year’s eligibility does not exceed 45 days. Any leave balance over and above this limit will automatically lapse
  • Earned Leave can only be encashed upon separation (see Leave Encashment section)
  • Earned Leave is equivalent to the concept of “Leave with wages” per the Karnataka Shops & Establishments Act Section 15.

Important note: For current FTEs who joined before Jun 30, 2025 we have calculated carry-forward leaves based on casual leaves taken in the period Jan 1, 2023 to Jun 30, 2025. This number will be updated in Pause by Jul 5 and you should be able to access it there. This number is part of your earned leaves.

Sick Leave

This covers unexpected illness or emergency scenarios covering you and your immediate family. These are almost always unplanned. As a FTE, you are entitled to unlimited sick leaves.

In these situations, please do keep your manager and People Success informed as soon as you are able to.

When you are able to, please record the days off in the system under the sick leave category.

Mental Wellness Days Off

You will have 4 mental wellness days off, one per quarter. These will be announced every quarter by the People Success team.

You do not need to record these in the system.

Public Holidays

Depending on your shift, you are entitled to public holidays per the Indian or US calendars. These will be published every calendar year. Please refer to them.

You do not need to record these in the system.

Maternity Leave

At Fyle, we support and celebrate the arrival of a new family member. Our maternity leave policy aligns with the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, and aims to ensure you have the time, flexibility, and support to prioritize your well-being and your child’s.

  • All female employees are eligible for 26 weeks (182 calendar days) of fully paid maternity leave.
  • This includes weekends and public holidays, which are counted within the 26-week period.
  • Maternity leave is also applicable in cases of adoption or surrogacy:
    • If the employee adopts a child below the age of 3 months or becomes a mother through surrogacy, she is eligible for 12 weeks of paid leave starting from the date the child is handed over.
  • PTO will not accrue during the maternity leave period.
  • To ensure adequate planning and support:
    • Please inform your manager and the People Success team at least 30 days in advance.
    • Maternity leave should be recorded in Pause.
  • You may also use accrued Annual Leave before or after your maternity leave (subject to manager approval)
  • Coverage for pre-natal and post-natal expenses per the insurance policy

Additionally

  • All female employees are eligible for 6 weeks leave for miscarriage or medical termination of pregnancy
  • All female employees are eligible for 2 weeks leave after a tubectomy (sterilisation) procedure
  • All female employees are eligible up to 1 month’s leave for illness related to pregnancy, delivery, miscarriage, or related procedures

Paternity Leave

We recognize the vital role that all parents and caregivers play in welcoming and bonding with a new child.

  • All full-time employees who are new fathers are entitled to 40 working days of fully paid Paternity Leave.
  • This leave can be taken for:
    • The birth of a child
    • The adoption of a child
  • To help your team plan effectively:
    • Please discuss your leave schedule with your manager.
    • Apply for the leave through Pause.
  • We encourage all caregivers to be fully present with their families.

Sabbatical

Anyone completing 3 years at Fyle will be entitled to a sabbatical of 20 additional days for that year, taking the total days off to 64.

Please discuss your sabbatical with your manager 2 months in advance to help plan workload better.

Leave Encashment

  • Upon resignation or termination, unused Earned leaves (up to 45 days) can be encashed.
  • Note that as per the provisions of the Shops and Establishments Act, employees are entitled to leave encashment on their last drawn fixed salary, excluding amounts payable as overtime or bonus.
  • Encashment is only applicable to Earned Leaves. No other type of leave can be encashed.
  • Applicable taxes will be deducted from the encashment.
  • Leave encashment will be part of full and final settlement upon exit.

Using Pause Tool

All the leaves will be administered through a slack-based tool called Pause

You can check this document on how to use the Pause tool

❓FAQs

Accrual & Usage

Q: If I join mid-month, how exactly is my leave prorated? A: Leave is prorated based on your joining month. For example, if you join on September 15th, you'll be credited with leave for September through December (4 months × 1.67 = 6.7, rounded to 7 days). You start accruing from your first day of employment. Q: Can I take more earned leave than I've currently accrued? A: No, you can only take leave that you've already accrued. However, you can plan future leave based on projected accruals, subject to manager approval. Q: Do I get the full 20 days immediately on January 1st? A: No, earned leave accrues monthly at 1.67 days per month. You'll have your full 20 days available by December.

Carry Forward & Limits

Q: How does the 45-day carry forward limit work exactly? A: You can carry forward unused earned leave to the next year, but your total balance (carried forward + current year's 20 days) cannot exceed 45 days. For example: if you carry forward 25 days, you can accumulate up to 20 more days in the current year. If you carry forward 30 days, you can only accumulate 15 more days before hitting the limit. Q: When do excess leaves lapse? A: Excess leaves automatically lapse on December 31st. Any balance over 45 days will be forfeited.

Financial

Q: For leave encashment, what salary is considered? A: Per the provisions of the Shops and Establishments Act, employees are entitled to leave encashment on their last drawn fixed salary, excluding amounts payable as overtime or bonus. Q: Are there tax implications for encashed leaves? A: Yes, encashed leave is treated as salary and will be subject to applicable taxes as per Income Tax rules. This will be deducted before payment.

Manager Approval & Planning

Q: What constitutes 'manager approval' for leave requests? A: Approval must be obtained through the Pause system. Verbal approvals should be followed up with a formal application in Pause. Q: Is the 2-week advance notice for 3+ days a hard rule? A: While we strongly encourage 2 weeks' notice for planning purposes, exceptions can be made for genuine emergencies or unforeseen circumstances. Discuss with your manager as early as possible. Q: What if my manager is unavailable when I need urgent leave? A: Contact the next level manager or reach out to the People Success team. In genuine emergencies, inform whoever is available and apply through Pause as soon as possible.