The written warning is the most used disciplinary document and the most often mis-drafted, because what circulates is usually a general note telling the employee they erred, with no violation, no penalty and no occurrence, which is of little use in a labour court.
Article 68 of the Executive Regulations sets out what the worker must be notified of in writing: the penalty imposed, its type, its amount, and the penalty they will face if the violation is repeated. It also sets out how to serve the notice if the worker refuses to receive it, refuses to sign, or is absent.
One question comes first: does the penalty exceed a fine of one day's wage? If it does, it may not be imposed until the worker has been notified in writing of the violation, heard, and their defence examined, by way of a minute filed in their personal file, under Article 64 of the Regulations.
The statutory basis
Article 68 of the Regulations
Notify the worker in writing of the penalty, its type, its amount and the penalty on repetition. If they refuse receipt or signature or are absent, serve by registered mail to the address on file or to the personal email stated in the contract or held by the establishment.
Article 64 of the Regulations
Any penalty exceeding a fine of one day's wage requires prior written notification of the violation, a hearing, and examination of the defence, minuted and filed.
Article 66 of the Regulations
No disciplinary action for a violation discovered more than thirty days earlier if no investigation step was taken.
Article 67 of the Regulations
No penalty may be imposed more than thirty days after the violation is established.
Article 61 of the Regulations
No escalation on repetition if one hundred and eighty days have passed since the worker was notified of the previous penalty.
Article 63 of the Regulations
One penalty per violation; a fine for a single violation may not exceed five days' wage; monthly deductions for fines may not exceed five days' wage.
Article 69 of the Regulations
Each worker has a penalties sheet recording the violation, its date and the penalty, kept in their service file.
Warning text
[Establishment name] [Qiwa establishment number] | [Date] Notice of disciplinary penalty Employee: [Full name] Employee number: [Number] | Department: [Department] | Title: [Job title] 1. The violation Description: [Precise description of the incident] Date: [Date] | Time: [Time] Clause in the approved work regulations: [Clause number] Occurrence: [First / Second / Third / Fourth] within [counting window] 2. Steps taken before the penalty The employee was notified in writing of the violation on [date], heard, and their defence examined, per minute number [number] dated [date], filed in their personal file [Delete this section where the penalty does not exceed a fine of one day's wage] 3. Penalty imposed Type: [Written warning / fine / suspension without pay / withholding an increment / deferring promotion] Amount: [Number of days, percentage, or amount in riyals] Basis in the work regulations: [Clause and grade] 4. Penalty on repetition If the same violation recurs, the penalty will be: [penalty for the next occurrence per the regulations schedule] 5. Right of grievance The employee may file a written grievance with [competent department] within thirty days excluding official holidays from the date of notification, and will be informed of the outcome within fifteen days excluding official holidays from filing Issued by: [Name and title] | Date: [Date] Received by employee: [Signature] | Date: [Date] If the employee refuses receipt or signature, or is absent, this notice is sent to [registered mail at the address on file / the personal email stated in the contract], and service by either carries full legal effect
Text in square brackets marks fields to fill with your own data. The template follows the provisions cited above and does not replace professional advice in a dispute.
How to use it
- 1Confirm the violation appears in your establishment's approved work regulations; a penalty with no clause has no basis.
- 2Count the occurrence correctly: escalation applies where the violation recurs within one hundred and eighty days of notification of the previous penalty.
- 3If the penalty exceeds one day's wage, start with the investigation minute, not with the warning.
- 4Watch both limits: thirty days from discovery to open an investigation, thirty days from establishment to impose the penalty.
- 5Fill in the repetition clause from your schedule; Article 68 makes it mandatory.
- 6Deliver a copy and record receipt; if refused, send by registered mail or the contractual email address.
- 7File a copy, record it on the penalties sheet, and record fines in the fines register.
Mistakes that recur
No amount and no repetition clause
Article 68 makes the type, the amount and the repetition penalty mandatory items.
Two penalties for one violation
Article 63 permits only one penalty per violation, so a fine plus suspension for a single incident is a breach.
Exceeding the deduction cap
A fine for one violation may not exceed five days' wage, and monthly fine deductions may not exceed five days' wage.
Acting too late
Thirty days from discovery without an investigation step ends the liability, and thirty days from establishment bars the penalty.
Verbal notification
The text requires writing, and on refusal or absence the two substitute methods are specified.
How the system saves the manual work
The violation generates the notice
Logging a violation in Barez produces the notice with its required items, so no letter is written from scratch.
Occurrence is computed
The system knows the occurrence from the employee record and the counting window, and shows the penalty for it and for repetition.
Delivery is timestamped
Delivery and reading are recorded in the audit trail, which is what an employer needs in a dispute.
Flagged when the cap is passed
When the month's fines exceed five days' wage, payroll flags it so you can spread the excess over later months rather than letting it pass unnoticed.
Sources
- Executive Regulations of the Labour Law, Ministry of Human Resources
- Saudi Labour Law, Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
This page is explanatory guidance, not legal advice. In a dispute, rely on the official text and consult the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development or a licensed lawyer.