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.
Best HR software in India (2026): 15 options compared and how to choose
Honest comparison of 15 HR and payroll tools for Indian companies with 10 to 500 staff: published prices, statutory depth, trials, gaps, and how to choose.
· 22 min read
What HR software actually saves a 50-person company (with a free ROI calculator)
Worked ROI example for a 50-person Indian company: hours and rupees saved on leave, payroll, documents and queries, what software cannot fix, and a free tool.
· 10 min read
Warning letter and show-cause notice: formats and process
How progressive discipline works in an Indian small company, the difference between a warning letter and a show-cause notice, and three copy-paste templates.
· 5 min read
Statutory bonus explained: who gets it and how much
Statutory bonus under the Code on Wages: the ₹21,000 and ₹7,000 ceilings notified in August 2026, 8.33 to 20 percent, the deadline and a worked example.
· 5 min read
Types of leave in India: what the law requires
Earned, casual, sick, maternity, comp-off and more: which leave types Indian law mandates, where the minimums come from, and what private companies grant.
· 5 min read
Contractor management is now in ZekoHR: Contractors and employees in one HR system
Contractor management for Indian teams, now in ZekoHR: Contractors and agency staff beside employees, with engagements, agency self-service and access rules.
· 8 min read
Salary slip format: what an Indian payslip must show
The fields an Indian payslip needs under the Code on Wages, a worked sample for a ₹40,000 CTC employee, the mistakes that cause disputes, and digital issue.
· 4 min read
Performance reviews that people do not dread
How a small Indian company runs a performance review cycle that is fair, light on paperwork and separate enough from increments to get honest conversations.
· 4 min read
Relieving letter and experience letter: formats that work
What a relieving letter and an experience letter must say, what they must never say, when an employer may hold one back, and two copy-paste templates.
· 5 min read
Overtime rules in India under the labour codes
Hour limits, the double-wage overtime rate, consent, the 144-hour quarterly cap in the central rules, who is exempt, comp-off versus pay, and records.
· 5 min read
Pay bands and increments for small companies
How to build simple pay bands, set an increment budget and run the April increment cycle in an Indian company without a compensation team.
· 5 min read
Notice period in India: rules, recovery and buyout
Where notice period rules come from, how to compute notice pay recovery and why no GST applies, when to allow a buyout, and how to handle an absconder.
· 5 min read
One-on-one meetings: a 30-minute template and 25 questions
A one-on-one template for managers in small companies: the 30-minute agenda, 25 questions that produce real answers, note-taking, and the mistakes to avoid.
· 5 min read
HR policies every Indian company needs: the 14-policy list
The HR policies a 20 to 300 person Indian company actually needs, split into legally required and recommended, with what each must contain and who owns it.
· 5 min read
Leave encashment: rules, formula and tax in 2026
When Indian employers must encash leave, how to compute it, the ₹25 lakh exemption now in Section 19 of the Income-tax Act 2025, and the two-day exit rule.
· 5 min read
Gratuity rules for employers: eligibility, formula, tax
Who qualifies for gratuity in India, the 15/26 formula, the one-year rule for fixed-term staff, the 30-day payment deadline and the ₹20 lakh tax exemption.
· 5 min read
How to give difficult feedback: 8 scripts for managers
Word-for-word openers for the feedback conversations managers avoid: lateness, missed deadlines, quality, attitude, hygiene and more, plus a follow-up note.
· 6 min read
CTC to in-hand salary: how to read a salary breakup
How cost to company turns into take-home pay in India: what sits between the two, the deductions in order, and three worked examples at ₹4, ₹8 and ₹15 lakh.
· 6 min read
Employee referral program: rules, bonus amounts and a policy
How to run an employee referral program in a small Indian company: who can refer, how much to pay and when, fairness rules, tracking, and a copy-ready policy.
· 5 min read
Appointment letter vs offer letter: clauses that matter
The difference between an offer letter, an appointment letter and a joining letter in India, the clauses each needs, what to leave out, and two templates.
· 5 min read
Recruitment is now in ZekoHR, on every plan
ZekoHR now runs hiring end to end: a Kanban pipeline you configure, an email to the candidate at every step, panel scorecards, offers and joining.
· 5 min read
DPDP's November milestone: what it means for your employee data
The DPDP Rules hit their one-year mark in mid-November 2026. What switches on, what still waits for May 2027, and a checklist for employee data.
· 6 min read
Exit interviews and stay interviews, done properly
What to ask in an exit interview, why a stay interview is often more useful, and how a small company turns the answers into fewer resignations.
· 4 min read
How to run an employee engagement survey
How a small company runs an engagement survey people answer honestly: question design, anonymity thresholds, reading the results and acting on them.
· 5 min read
Writing a job description people actually apply to
A job description structure that attracts the right candidates in India: honest scope, a real salary range, requirements that really are, and what to cut.
· 4 min read
A hybrid work policy for Indian companies
The decisions a hybrid work policy must make, for Indian small companies: office days, eligibility, attendance, equipment, costs and keeping it fair.
· 5 min read
Structured interviews: questions and scorecards
Structured interviews for small companies: fixed questions per round, a defined scorecard, a debrief that avoids groupthink, and the questions not to ask.
· 4 min read
What belongs in an employee handbook
The sections an Indian small company's employee handbook actually needs, what is legally required versus merely useful, and how to keep it current.
· 5 min read
When to hire your first HR person
The signals that a growing Indian company needs its first HR hire, what to put in place before then, what the role should cover, and whom to look for.
· 5 min read
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.
· 4 min read
Labour codes: states have until 31 October. What employers should do now
The Centre expects every state and UT to notify labour code rules by 31 October 2026. What is settled, what is still open, and an employer checklist.
· 7 min read
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.
· 4 min read
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.
· 4 min read
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.
· 3 min read
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.
· 4 min read
The HR and payroll compliance calendar for October and November 2026
Minimum wage revisions, the first EPF return at ₹25,000, Form 138, state labour code rules, the bonus deadline and DPDP: every date for the next eight weeks.
· 6 min read
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.
· 4 min read
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.
· 4 min read
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.
· 4 min read
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.
· 4 min read
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.
· 4 min read
PoSH complaints are rising at India's biggest companies. What small employers should learn
Nifty 50 companies reported 1,327 PoSH complaints in FY26, up 4.6%. What the numbers say, why more reports can be good news, and a checklist for small firms.
· 6 min read
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.
· 3 min read
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.
· 4 min read
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.
· 4 min read
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.
· 4 min read
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.
· 4 min read
EPF wage ceiling is now ₹25,000: what payroll must change
From 17 September 2026 the EPF wage ceiling rose from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000. Who it brings in, how contributions change, and an employer checklist.
· 7 min read
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.
· 3 min read
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.
· 4 min read
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.
· 3 min read
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.
· 3 min read
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.
· 4 min read
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.
· 4 min read
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.
· 2 min read