Work regulations are an establishment's written internal rules: working and rest hours, leave and how it is requested, disciplinary penalties and their degrees, promotion and increment rules, and the duties of both parties. They are an official document approved by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.
What is most misunderstood about them is that many establishments treat them as a founding formality that ends at approval. In truth they are the working reference in every dispute: from what point late minutes are counted, on what basis overtime is computed, and what penalty applies to a given breach.
Where the regulations are silent on a matter, a management decision on it remains open to challenge however reasonable it was. The first step in tightening HR policy is therefore to have it written and approved, then applied as written by a system that honours it.
Before you rely on this guide: This content is general information and is not binding legal advice, rules vary with contract type and the circumstances of each case, and provisions may have changed since the last-updated date shown above, so before any decision affecting an employee, check the article in its official source or consult a specialist.
Who must have them
Preparing and approving work regulations is an obligation on establishments whose headcount reaches the threshold set by law. Below that, preparing them is optional, but the option here favours the establishment rather than burdening it.
A small establishment that writes its policies and has them approved settles disputes by reference to them. One that relies on unwritten custom finds itself in every dispute building its position on an impression rather than a provision.
What they must contain
The regulations cover the full cycle of work, and each chapter has a direct effect on daily operations:
- 1Working hours, shifts, and weekly rest days, with start and end times for each category.
- 2The grace period before lateness is counted, if the establishment chooses one, with its duration and effective date. The law prescribes none, so its place is the regulations alone.
- 3The basis for computing overtime: basic or gross wage, and the hour count the monthly wage is divided by.
- 4Leave of every type, procedures for requesting and approving it, and carry-over rules.
- 5The schedule of disciplinary penalties with its escalating degrees per breach, and the investigation procedure before imposing them.
- 6Promotion and increment rules and the conditions for earning them.
- 7The duties of employee and employer, and rules on use of work tools and confidentiality.
Standard template or bespoke regulations
Two routes are open. The first is adopting the ministry's standard template without amendment, which is fastest and suffices for establishments with no special policies.
The second is drafting bespoke regulations reflecting the nature of the business. These need careful drafting because they are submitted to the ministry for approval and will not be approved if they conflict with the law.
The governing rule in choosing is that regulations may grant an employee more than the law provides and may never give less. Any clause below the statutory minimum is void even if the employee signed it.
An establishment with unusual shifts, flexible hours, a grace period, or benefits above the minimum therefore needs bespoke regulations stating them. One operating at the statutory minimum is well served by the template.
How approval works
Approval is done electronically through the ministry's service. The establishment uploads its regulations or selects the standard template, they are reviewed and approved, and they are then posted for employees in a visible place so they are aware of them.
Posting is a practical condition rather than a formal one. A penalty imposed under a clause the employee did not know of remains disputable, and an employee may rely on ignorance of an unposted clause.
Any later amendment follows the same path: amend, approve, post. An amendment applied before approval is not in force.
Their effect in disputes
The regulations are what turns a management decision from an opinion into a step grounded in a provision. When an establishment deducts from an employee's salary for lateness, the first question before any adjudicating body is: which clause did you apply, which degree of penalty, and did the lower degree precede it.
An establishment that answers with a clause from approved, posted regulations, a documented investigation record, and an attendance log proving the incident has evidence behind it. One that answers that this is its usual policy loses.
Writing the regulations is therefore half the work. The other half is that the system applies them as written: the stated grace period is the one actually applied, and penalties are drawn from the approved schedule rather than from each manager's judgement.
Common errors
- 1Approving regulations and then applying a different policy in practice, which is worse than having none because it proves the breach with your own text.
- 2Operating a grace period in practice without stating it in the regulations, leaving every case open to challenge.
- 3A clause below the statutory minimum on leave or gratuity, which is void even if the employee signed it.
- 4Not posting the regulations for employees, so an employee may rely on ignorance of them.
- 5Leaving the regulations unrevised for years while shifts and policies have in fact changed.
Official sources
Article numbers cited refer to the Saudi Labor Law and its Executive Regulations. Rules and rates are subject to change, so refer to the official source whenever in doubt.
- Saudi Labor Law, Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
- Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development
- Qiwa platform
This content is general information and is not binding legal advice, rules vary with contract type and the circumstances of each case, and provisions may have changed since the last-updated date shown above, so before any decision affecting an employee, check the article in its official source or consult a specialist.