Blog
Zoho Books vs Tally: Which Accounting Software for Indian SMBs in 2026?
A detailed comparison of Zoho Books and Tally for Indian businesses. Covers pricing, GST compliance,…
7 min read
Read article →
Managing HR in an Indian company involves a specific set of requirements: Zoho Payroll PF ESI TDS guide and ESI compliance, varied leave policies (earned leave, casual leave, sick leave, public holidays that differ by state), appraisal cycles, and increasingly, a workforce that expects mobile access to their HR information. Zoho People HRMS India is built to handle all of this. This guide walks through setting it up correctly for an Indian organisation.
Scope: Zoho People for Indian private limited companies and LLPs with 10-500 employees. Covers employee records, attendance, leave, appraisals, and integration with Zoho Payroll.
Zoho People Core Modules
| Module | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Employee database | Central record for all employee information: personal, employment, documents, emergency contacts |
| Attendance | Web, mobile, biometric, and geo-tagged check-in/check-out with shift management |
| Leave management | Multiple leave types, accrual rules, holiday calendar, approval workflows |
| Appraisals | Goal setting, 360-degree feedback, performance ratings, appraisal cycles |
| Onboarding | Digital onboarding workflows with document collection and task checklists |
| Offboarding | Exit checklist, knowledge transfer tasks, final settlement calculations |
| Time tracking | Project-based time logs, billable hours, overtime tracking |
Setting Up Zoho People for an Indian Company
1
Organisation Settings Set company name, registered address, financial year start (April for India), time zone (IST), and working days (typically Monday-Saturday or Monday-Friday depending on your policy).
2
Departments and Designations Create your org structure: departments (Sales, Engineering, Accounts, Operations) and designations (Manager, Executive, Associate, Director). Employees are assigned to a department and designation.
3
Leave Types and Policies Set up leave types per Indian labour law norms: Earned Leave (EL), typically 1 per 20 days worked; Casual Leave (CL), typically 12 days/year; Sick Leave (SL), typically 12 days/year; Maternity/Paternity Leave; National and festival holidays (state-specific). Configure accrual rules, carry-forward limits, and encashment policies.
4
Holiday Calendar Create the annual holiday calendar for your location. National holidays (Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti) plus state-specific holidays (Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, Ugadi in Karnataka, etc.) plus company-specific holidays. Employees in different states can have different holiday calendars.
5
Attendance Configuration Choose attendance capture method: web clock-in (simplest), mobile app with geo-fencing (for field staff), or biometric integration (for factory/office with attendance machine). Set shift timings and late arrival/early departure policies.
6
Add Employees Import employee data from Excel or enter manually. Required fields: Employee ID, Name, Date of Joining, Department, Designation, Reporting Manager, PAN, Aadhaar, Bank Details, PF UAN, ESI number. Documents (offer letter, appointment letter, address proof) can be uploaded per employee.
7
Connect to Zoho Payroll Link Zoho People attendance data to Zoho Payroll. Approved leaves and LOP (Loss of Pay) days flow to payroll automatically, eliminating manual data transfer between HR and accounts.
Attendance Management for Indian Workplaces
Indian workplaces have diverse attendance scenarios Zoho People handles natively:
- Shift workers: Factory or call center staff with rotating shifts, Zoho People supports shift scheduling and shift change requests
- Field sales: Geo-tagged mobile check-in captures the location when the employee checks in, useful for verifying field visits
- Remote/hybrid: Web-based clock-in works from anywhere; managers can see who is working and when
- Regularization: When an employee forgets to clock in, they can submit an attendance regularization request that the manager approves
Biometric integration note: Zoho People integrates with biometric devices via third-party middleware (TimeTrex, eSSL, etc.). Direct plug-and-play with all biometric brands is not available, discuss your specific device with your implementation partner before assuming compatibility.
Appraisal and Performance Management
Zoho People’s performance management module covers:
- Goal setting at the start of the appraisal cycle (quarterly or annual)
- Mid-year self-assessment and manager review
- 360-degree feedback from peers and subordinates (optional)
- Final rating on a scale you configure (1-5, A/B/C/D, etc.)
- Competency-based assessment alongside KPI-based scoring
- Appraisal results feed into increment calculations in Zoho Payroll
Employee Self-Service Portal
Zoho People’s employee portal reduces HR team workload significantly. Employees can:
- Apply for leave and see approval status
- View their attendance record and submit regularization requests
- Access their payslips and Form 16 (when connected to Zoho Payroll)
- Update personal information (address, bank details, emergency contacts)
- View the company holiday calendar and org chart
- Submit expense reports and travel requests
For PF, ESI, and labour compliance specifics, the Zoho People HR management guide for Indian companies covers statutory leave types, attendance integration, and annual appraisal cycles. For IT teams managing SSO access, the Zoho People and Azure AD integration guide explains how to automate provisioning and deprovisioning via Microsoft Azure AD.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Zoho People handle contract staff and consultants separately from full-time employees?
Yes. You can create different employee types in Zoho People (permanent, contract, intern, consultant) with different leave policies, attendance rules, and compensation structures. Contract staff can have end-date alerts to trigger renewal or offboarding workflows.
Can we configure different leave policies for different offices?
Yes. Leave policies can be assigned at the department, location, or designation level. Employees in your Pune office can have different festival holidays than employees in Chennai, for example.
How does Zoho People handle maternity leave under the Maternity Benefit Act?
You configure maternity leave as a leave type with the applicable duration (26 weeks for first two children under the 2017 amendment). The approval workflow routes to HR and management. The leave is tracked separately from other leave types for compliance reporting.
What is the cost of Zoho People for 50 employees?
Zoho People Essential starts at Rs 48/employee/month. Professional is Rs 80/employee/month. For 50 employees, that is Rs 2,400-4,000/month. Companies on Zoho One get Zoho People included. Contact Aaxonix for exact pricing for your company.
Does Zoho People connect directly to biometric attendance machines?
Not directly for every brand. Zoho People integrates with biometric devices through third-party middleware such as TimeTrex or eSSL rather than one universal plug-and-play connector, so compatibility depends on your specific device and whether the middleware supports it. If your company already has biometric hardware installed, check with your Zoho implementation partner before assuming it will connect out of the box, since some older or uncommon models may need a different integration approach.
Can field employees mark attendance without being physically at the office?
Yes. Zoho People supports mobile check-in with geo-tagging, which records the employee’s location at the moment they clock in, making it suited to field sales staff who work from client sites rather than a fixed office. Managers can see where and when each field employee checked in, alongside standard web-based clock-in for office and remote staff. This keeps attendance tracking consistent across shift workers, field teams, and hybrid employees in the same setup.
Bottom line: Zoho People is a comprehensive HRMS that handles the full employee lifecycle for Indian companies, from onboarding and attendance to appraisals and exit. When connected to Zoho Payroll, it eliminates the manual data transfer that causes most payroll errors. Setup typically takes 2-4 weeks for a 50-person company.
Aaxonix implements Zoho People for companies across Pune and India. Get in touch to discuss your HR setup requirements.
