Employee Hiring Pack

Employee Hiring Pack

Purpose

This workflow generates the complete legal documentation set for a new employee hire and guides the employer through all government registration and compliance steps. The output is a signed employment package, registered employment relationship, and a compliant Day-1 onboarding record.

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Inputs

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Deliverables Overview

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Logic — Workflow Steps

Step 1: Job Offer Accepted

Once an oral offer is accepted, the written offer letter should follow within 24 hours:

Offer letter — [[draft-offer-letter]] — key elements:

• Role, title, reporting line
• Start date and location
• Compensation (base salary, currency, payment frequency)
• Benefits (health insurance, transport, housing allowance — must comply with local minimums)
• Probation period and length
• Conditional nature of offer (subject to background check, reference check, work authorization)
• Deadline for acceptance (typically 3–5 business days)
• Governing law (for multi-jurisdiction roles)

Offer letter ≠ employment contract: the offer letter is a pre-contractual document. In civil law jurisdictions (UAE, KSA, LB), the employment contract is the primary legal instrument. Issue the offer letter immediately; issue the contract before or on the start date.

Step 2: Background Check and Reference Verification

Run before issuing final contract:

• Standard: employment history verification; education credential check; identity verification
• For senior/financial roles: criminal record check (where legal and available); credit check (financial services)
• Reference check: minimum two professional references
• In UAE and KSA: INTERPOL check or equivalent may be required for certain roles
• Data privacy compliance: obtain written consent before running checks; process only the data necessary; retain only as long as required

Step 3: Employment Contract Drafting

Load the jurisdiction-specific skill:

UAE Employment Contract — [[draft-employment-contract-uae]]:

• Governed by Federal Decree-Law 33/2021 (effective 2 February 2022); supersedes all prior employment law
• Key contract elements required: parties, job title, start date, work location, working hours, salary, leave entitlement, probation period
• Fixed-term contracts: maximum 3 years; renewable; non-renewal triggers EOSG entitlement
• Working hours: 8 hours per day / 48 hours per week maximum; Ramadan reduced hours for Muslim employees
• Annual leave: minimum 30 days after 1 year (if hourly-based); proportional for shorter periods
• EOSG: 21 days per year of service for first 5 years; 30 days for years 5+
• Non-compete: enforceable if limited in time (max 2 years), geography, and scope; must be in the contract
• Language: Arabic text is authoritative for UAE labor proceedings; bilingual contracts recommended

KSA Employment Contract — [[draft-employment-contract-ksa]]:

• Governed by Labour Law (Royal Decree M/51) and implementing regulations
• Arabic text controls; employer must provide Arabic version
• Fixed-term: maximum 4 years; default is indefinite for Saudi nationals
• Working hours: 8 hours per day / 48 hours per week; 6 hours per day during Ramadan
• Annual leave: 21 days (first 5 years); 30 days thereafter
• Saudization (Nitaqat): employers must maintain the required ratio of Saudi nationals in their workforce; new hires should be tracked against this
• GOSI (General Organization for Social Insurance): employer registers employee; contributes 12% of salary (Saudi nationals); 2% (expatriates)
• Non-compete: generally enforceable if reasonable; courts apply equity considerations

Lebanon Employment Contract — [[draft-employment-contract-lb]]:

• Governed by Labor Code (Law 136 of 1983 as amended) and related legislation
• NSSF (National Social Security Fund) registration mandatory; contributions split employer/employee
• Annual leave: 15 days (first 5 years); 18 days (6–10 years); 21 days thereafter
• Currency considerations: LBP or USD depending on agreed currency; critical given Lebanese pound instability — specify currency clearly
• Language: Arabic or French acceptable; bilingual contracts common for international employers
• Labor courts in Lebanon: relatively accessible but slow; consider dispute resolution clause

DIFC Employment Contract:

• Governed by DIFC Employment Law (DIFC Law 2 of 2019 as amended)
• English law concepts with DIFC-specific statutory minimums
• Must include: parties, remuneration, working hours, annual leave, pension contribution, dispute resolution

Step 4: IP Assignment

For any role involving creation of intellectual property (technology, content, design, legal work product):

IP assignment clause in employment contract or standalone [[draft-ip-assignment]]:

• All work created in the course of employment and related to the employer's business is assigned to the employer
• Includes work created using company resources even outside normal hours
• Prior IP carve-out: identify any pre-existing IP the employee wants to exclude (attach as schedule)
• Moral rights: in civil law jurisdictions (Lebanon, France) employees retain moral rights in creative works even after economic rights are assigned — address how these are handled

Step 5: Visa and Work Permit (Non-Citizens in MENA)

Non-citizen employees require employer-sponsored work authorization in UAE, KSA, and most MENA jurisdictions:

UAE process:

1. Entry permit application (Ministry of Human Resources / GDRFA)
2. Medical fitness test in UAE
3. Emirates ID registration (ICA)
4. Residence visa issuance (stamped in passport)
5. Work permit (integrated with residence visa process) Timeline: typically 4–8 weeks from offer acceptance; begin immediately

KSA process:

1. Work visa (MHRSD) — employer obtains a block visa or individual visa
2. Entry on work visa
3. Iqama (residence permit) application after arrival — employer sponsors
4. GOSI registration
5. Muqeem system registration Timeline: typically 4–8 weeks; can be longer for specific nationalities

Lebanon (pre-crisis normal procedure):

1. Work permit from Ministry of Labor — employer sponsors
2. Residence permit from General Security
3. NSSF registration Timeline: highly variable given administrative challenges

Key risk: do not start employee before work authorization is confirmed. Employing without proper authorization creates regulatory violations for both employer and employee.

Step 6: Government Registrations

Step 7: Equipment and Access Provisioning

Before Day 1:

• Laptop, phone, access cards provisioned
• Email and system access configured
• Security training scheduled
• NDA/confidentiality reminder reviewed

Day 1 Checklist

• Employment contract signed by both parties
• Offer letter countersigned
• IP assignment signed (if standalone)
• Employee handbook acknowledged in writing
• Background check results on file and satisfactory
• Access provisioned
• Welcome meeting with manager
• IT setup complete

90-Day Probation Review

Schedule a formal review at day 60 (advance notice if termination during probation is likely):

• Performance evaluation against agreed objectives
• If extending probation or terminating: written notice required (jurisdiction-specific minimum notice during probation is typically shorter than post-probation)
• Successful completion: confirm in writing; probation benefit changes (if any) take effect

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Jurisdictional Watchpoints

UAE

• Mandatory health insurance: Dubai Health Authority and Abu Dhabi Health Authority both require employers to provide health insurance for all employees and their qualifying dependents
• Annual flight ticket: common practice for expatriate employees; not statutory but contractually common; address in offer letter
• Housing/transport allowances: frequently provided; if restructured or reduced, may constitute constructive dismissal

KSA

• Saudization compliance: failure to meet Nitaqat quotas results in restricted government services for the employer
• Female employee considerations: ensure workplace policies comply with anti-discrimination requirements under Vision 2030 reforms
• Non-Muslim employees: alcohol and certain other items prohibited; address in employee handbook

Lebanon

• Currency clauses: specify whether salary is in USD or LBP and at what rate; critical given the de facto peg collapse since 2019
• NSSF registration gap: many employers in Lebanon are not registered with NSSF; avoid this — the employer bears direct liability for EOSG if unregistered

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Skills Loaded Together

This workflow activates: [[conversation-intake-employment-contract]] for intake; [[heuristic-always-state-jurisdiction-first]] for all outputs; jurisdiction-specific drafting skills (UAE, KSA, LB); and [[draft-ip-assignment]] and [[draft-non-compete]] as supplementary documents.

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Related Skills

• [[workflow-fire-employee-pack]]
• [[draft-offer-letter]]
• [[draft-employment-contract-uae]]
• [[draft-ip-assignment]]
• [[draft-non-compete]]
• [[draft-vesting-schedule]]
• [[conversation-intake-employment-contract]]
• [[heuristic-always-state-jurisdiction-first]]