Blog

Notes from the people side

Practical guides for HR teams in India, and honest notes on how and why we build ZekoHR the way we do. Written by the team, not a content farm.

Building ZekoHR Latest

Why we publish our security gaps

Our trust page lists what we have not built yet, in public. Here is why we think that is the only honest way to sell software that holds people's salaries.

18 September 2026 · 2 min read

HR guides

HR metrics that matter for small teams

Five HR metrics worth tracking in a small Indian company: headcount, attrition, time-to-fill, leave utilisation and payroll accuracy, computed by hand.

8 September 2026 · 4 min read

HR guides

HR basics for first-time managers

What new managers in India need to know about approving leave fairly, running 1:1s, keeping written records, and when to bring HR into a situation.

25 August 2026 · 4 min read

Building ZekoHR

One employee record

The architecture bet under ZekoHR: leave feeds attendance feeds payroll from a single record, what that costs us in flexibility, and what it buys in truth.

25 August 2026 · 4 min read

HR guides

Why private companies need a whistleblower policy

The case for a whistleblower channel in unlisted Indian companies: anonymity, tracking codes, who investigates, and real anti-retaliation protection.

11 August 2026 · 4 min read

Building ZekoHR

Building HR software people don't hate

What "mobile-first for the employee, not the HR admin" means in practice: self-service first, respectful notifications, one daily digest at most.

4 August 2026 · 3 min read

HR guides

PoSH Act basics for small companies

What the PoSH Act 2013 requires of Indian employers: when an Internal Committee is needed, its composition, complaint timelines and employer duties.

29 July 2026 · 4 min read

Payroll & compliance

New versus old tax regime: what HR and payroll must actually do

The employer's duties when employees choose a tax regime: defaults, declaration timing, and what changes in monthly TDS computation.

21 July 2026 · 4 min read

HR guides

Employee document checklist for Indian hires

What to collect at hire in India: identity, address, education and employment proofs, plus expiry tracking, verification and storage responsibilities.

17 July 2026 · 4 min read

Payroll & compliance

An expense policy that prevents fights

How to write an expense policy people can actually follow: categories, limits, receipts, approval chains by amount, advances and GST capture.

7 July 2026 · 4 min read

HR guides

Probation and confirmation without the ambiguity

Typical probation lengths in India, what confirmation should actually mean, how to extend probation properly, and handling leave during probation.

6 July 2026 · 4 min read

HR guides

Attendance policy basics for Indian companies

How to define present, half-day, absent, weekly-off and holiday states, handle regularisation requests, and link attendance cleanly to payroll.

23 June 2026 · 4 min read

Payroll & compliance

Salary structure explained: basic, HRA, allowances and why the split matters

What basic pay, HRA and allowances actually do in an Indian salary structure, why the basic percentage matters, and a worked example for ₹6 LPA.

23 June 2026 · 3 min read

Building ZekoHR

The free year, explained

Why ZekoHR's trial is 365 days free for up to 50 employees: evaluating HR software honestly takes one full annual cycle, so that is what we give.

16 June 2026 · 4 min read

HR guides

Offboarding and full and final settlement done properly

How to run an orderly exit in India: notice period, knowledge transfer, asset return, FnF components including leave encashment and gratuity, and timelines.

10 June 2026 · 4 min read

Payroll & compliance

PF and ESI basics every employer should know

A plain guide to Provident Fund and ESI for Indian employers: who must register, common wage thresholds, contribution splits and frequent mistakes.

9 June 2026 · 4 min read

HR guides

Employee onboarding checklist for Indian companies

A day-minus-7 to day-30 onboarding checklist covering offer, PAN and Aadhaar collection, assets, policy sign-off, a buddy and the 30-day check-in.

29 May 2026 · 4 min read

Payroll & compliance

TDS declarations, explained for both sides of the table

How investment declarations work for employees and payroll teams: declare versus verify, proof windows, and why verified amounts should drive TDS.

26 May 2026 · 3 min read

Building ZekoHR

Why our pricing page is an API call

Our pricing page fetches the same catalog our billing system charges from, so the website cannot lie. On what that constraint does to a company.

19 May 2026 · 3 min read

HR guides

Restricted holidays explained

What restricted holidays are, why Indian companies need them, how many to offer, and how the approval flow should work in practice.

18 May 2026 · 4 min read

Payroll & compliance

A monthly payroll runbook for small companies

A practical month-by-month payroll checklist for small Indian companies, covering cutoffs, inputs, pre-checks, verification, publishing and records.

12 May 2026 · 3 min read

HR guides

A leave policy that actually works in India

How to structure earned, casual and sick leave for an Indian company, with sample numbers, accrual rules, carry-forward limits and restricted holidays.

5 May 2026 · 4 min read

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