48 hours a week, at most
No worker is required or allowed to work more than forty-eight hours in a week under the Central rules; your State's may differ.
Source: OSH (Central) Rules, 2026, rule 64
Free PDF checklist
Festive Staffing Checklist for Indian Employers
Staffing Diwali 2026 in the order the season runs: plan cover, hire temps, roster within the limits, pay Diwali the way your State says, and release staff on time.
- Twenty-five checks in six steps
- Every limit with its source
- Diwali pay by State, not one rate
Instant download. No card needed.
Attendo presents
Festive Staffing Checklist
For Indian employers
25
checks in six steps
Attendo presents
What's inside
What is inside the checklist
Six steps. Build the rota in the festive shift roster.
Step 1
Plan the cover
Day-by-day cover, your Diwali holiday list, the Sunday question and notice by 17-Oct-2026 if anything changes from last year.
Step 2
Hire temps
An appointment letter, the minimum wage from day one, a written end date, and the contract labour rules at fifty, unless the work is only casual.
Step 3
Roster hours and rest
Eight hours, forty-eight a week, six days, overtime by consent, and written consent for women on late shifts.
Steps 4 and 5
Diwali day and pay
What each State gives for working Diwali, wages on time, bonus by 30-Nov-2026 and advances inside the limit.
Step 6
After the season
A leaver's wages in two working days, advances recovered within the limit, and a relieving letter on request.
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One roster for every branch
Attendo (formerly Petpooja Payroll) builds rosters, gives each branch its State's holiday list and works out overtime.
Why this matters
Why festive staffing goes wrong
Because it is planned in the week it happens. The rota, the extra hands and the Diwali pay are all decided under pressure, and the limits that apply are the ones nobody checks in a rush.
The limits are not hard to state. Eight hours a day under the OSH Code, forty-eight a week under the Central rules, six days a week, and overtime only with consent, at twice the rate. The overtime rules are the ones most often broken in a festive week.
They differ by State and by kind of establishment. A store in Pune works nine hours a day under Maharashtra's Shops Act; a plant follows the OSH Code. So the checklist names the source of every limit.
Diwali itself is State law too. Who gets the day off, and what someone who works it is paid, depend on your State's festival holiday rules, which the Diwali holiday notice sets out for three States. Tamil Nadu needs 24 hours' written notice to work the day, and managers are outside all three States' Acts.
And the season ends with payroll. Temporary staff are best paid within two working days of leaving, the 2025-26 bonus goes to the bank by 30-Nov-2026, and festival advances come back only within half the month's wages.
Preview
Three checks teams tend to miss
Each one turns a busy week into a dispute.
- The notice. Changing last year's shifts or holidays needs twenty-one days' notice to workers: by 17-Oct-2026.
- The seventh day. Anyone who works their weekly off gets another day off that week; nobody works seven days running, as a duty roster should show.
- The late shift. A woman before 6 a.m. or after 7 p.m. works it only with her written consent and transport home.
| Step | The question | The limit | Source | When | Checks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Plan the cover | Any change? | 21 days' notice | IR Code s.40 | By 17-Oct | 4 |
| 2. Hire temps | Papers in place? | Appointment letter | OSH s.6(1)(f) | Day one | 5 |
| 3. Roster | Within limits? | 8 a day, 48 a week | OSH s.25, rule 64 | Each week | 5 |
| 4. Diwali day | Who works? | State's rule | State Acts | 08-Nov | 3 |
| 5 and 6. Pay and release | Paid on time? | 2 working days | Wages Code s.17 | After | 8 |
Key stats
Three numbers behind the checklist
6 days in a week, at most
No worker is allowed to work in an establishment for more than six days in any one week.
Source: OSH Code, 2020, s.26(1)21 days' notice of a change
Changing a worker's hours, shifts or holidays needs notice, and the change cannot be made within twenty-one days of it.
Source: Industrial Relations Code, 2020, s.40, Third Schedule
Common mistakes
6 Festive Staffing Mistakes Indian Employers Make
Hiring temps without an appointment letter
Every employee gets one on appointment where the OSH Code applies, and a festive hire is an employee from day one.
Rostering a seventh day
No one works more than six days in a week. Move the weekly off rather than cancel it.
Overtime by instruction
Overtime is worked only with the worker's consent and paid at twice the rate with that wage period.
Late shifts for women without consent
Before 6 a.m. or after 7 p.m., written consent and transport home come first.
One Diwali rate for every branch
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu give a choice of twice the wages or a day off; Maharashtra gives both. A multi-State chain pays each State's.
Paying leavers at month-end
A resignation or dismissal is paid within two working days. For a term that simply ends the Code is silent; two days is still safe.
Comparison
A festive rota on a whiteboard against this checklist
A rota on the wall
Names and shifts
- Planned the week before
- Temps start without papers
- Seven-day weeks in the rush
- One Diwali rate for all
- Leavers paid at month-end
Free either way
This checklist
Twenty-five checks in six steps
- Notice by 17-Oct-2026
- Appointment letter, day one
- Six days, 48 hours, consent
- Each State's Diwali pay
- Leavers paid in two days
Plan it now, not in the rush
Start with the cover and the notice. Attendo keeps rosters, holiday lists and overtime for every branch.
FAQ
Common questions
Is this festive staffing checklist really free? +
Yes, completely. No card and no trial. The form asks for your name, work email, phone and city, then the PDF downloads straight away. The Attendo team may follow up about payroll software, and you are free to say no thanks.
Do temporary festive staff need an appointment letter? +
Yes, where the OSH Code applies, which is an establishment of ten or more workers. Section 6(1)(f) requires an appointment letter for every employee on appointment, and a festive hire is an employee from the first day, paid at least the minimum wage for the role.
How many hours can staff work in the Diwali week? +
Under the OSH Code, eight hours a day and, under the Central rules, forty-eight a week, with no more than six days in a week. Beyond that is overtime, paid at twice the rate and only with the worker's consent. A Maharashtra shop works nine hours a day; check your State's figures.
Can women work late shifts in the festive season? +
Yes, with conditions. Before 6 a.m. or after 7 p.m., a woman works only with her written consent, transport to her residence and the other safeguards the rules prescribe. In a Maharashtra shop the window is 7 a.m. to 9.30 p.m.
When must we pay temporary staff who leave after Diwali? +
Within two working days is the safe answer. Section 17(2) of the Code on Wages sets two working days for resignation, removal, dismissal, retrenchment and closure, but does not name a fixed term simply ending, which the IR Code keeps out of retrenchment. Paying in two days meets the law on either reading.
A
About Attendo
Attendo (formerly Petpooja Payroll) is payroll and attendance software used by 40,000+ businesses across manufacturing, corporate offices, retail, hospitals and education. General guidance, not legal advice. This checklist is one of our free HR checklists, each built from the law rather than from other templates.
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Get the staffing checklist
Twenty-five checks in six steps, from planning cover to releasing staff, as a printable PDF. Free, and no card.
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