Most Surat IT companies operate without a formal HR policy until something goes wrong — an employee dispute, a compliance notice, or the realization during a client due diligence that there's no documented leave policy. Here's the minimum viable HR framework for growing IT companies.
Leave Policy: the basics your policy must cover — earned leave (18–24 days/year is market standard in Surat IT), sick leave (7–12 days), casual leave (6–8 days), and maternity/paternity leave (as per the Maternity Benefit Act 2017). Clearly state: how leave is accrued, encashment rules, carry-forward caps, and the approval process. Verbal policies don't protect you legally.
Work from Home & Hybrid Policy: post-2020, this is non-negotiable. Your policy should state: who is eligible (seniority or role-based), how many WFH days per week/month, equipment responsibility, and expectations for response time and availability during WFH hours. Ambiguity here breeds conflict.
Performance Appraisal Cycle: define your appraisal cycle (quarterly check-ins + annual review is the most common structure in Surat IT), the rating framework, who conducts reviews, and how appraisals connect to salary revisions. The biggest HR complaint in IT companies is "we never know how we're being evaluated." Fix this with documented criteria.
POSH Compliance (Prevention of Sexual Harassment): mandatory for all companies with 10+ employees. You must have an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), a POSH policy distributed to all employees, and an annual report to the District Officer. Non-compliance carries fines. Several SIC members have been surprised by this requirement — don't be.
Moonlighting & Conflict of Interest Policy: the moonlighting debate resurfaced nationally in 2023. Your policy should be clear — is it permitted, partially permitted, or prohibited? If you allow it, specify that client relationships and competing work are excluded. Get employee sign-off on this clause during onboarding.
Offboarding Process: a missed area for most companies. Document: notice period enforcement, knowledge transfer responsibilities, access revocation checklist, final settlement timeline (as per Payment of Wages Act — within 2 working days of last day), and the exit interview process. A clean offboarding protects you from data theft claims and maintains your reputation with alumni.
The practical starting point: use a community-reviewed HR policy template, have a labor law-aware CA or HR consultant review it, get all existing employees to formally acknowledge it, and make it accessible (shared drive, Notion, or HRMS platform). The cost is low. The protection is real.
"Most IT companies operate without a formal HR policy until something goes wrong. The cost of building one is low. The protection it provides is real."
