The Delhi government has issued fresh guidelines restricting late office hours for women employees, allowing extended working hours only in rare and unavoidable circumstances. The move aims to reinforce workplace safety, dignity and managerial accountability across government offices.
In an advisory circulated earlier this week, the Department of Women and Child Development directed all its branches to ensure that women staff are not required or expected to stay beyond normal working hours. Where late work cannot be avoided, departments have been instructed to make mandatory arrangements for the safe drop-off of women employees.
The advisory places direct responsibility on branch heads and reporting officers, making them personally accountable for assessing whether late sitting is genuinely essential and for ensuring safe transport arrangements when exceptions are made. It explicitly discourages asking women employees to stay back for routine or non-urgent work that can be deferred to the next working day.
Senior officials have been instructed to exercise advance planning and judgment before approving extended work hours and to ensure that safety arrangements are not merely approved but executed in a timely and reliable manner. The directive also stresses the importance of a humane and gender-sensitive managerial approach, placing women employees’ safety and dignity at the centre of workplace decision-making.
The government has indicated that compliance with the advisory is expected in both letter and spirit, with close monitoring planned to ensure adherence. Officials signalled that deviations from the guidelines would not be viewed lightly.
The move comes amid increased focus on workplace safety standards for women, with governments and employers facing growing scrutiny over working conditions, particularly during late hours. The advisory reinforces the state’s emphasis on employer responsibility and proactive safeguards to prevent risk to women employees.
