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Written warning template:what makes it valid
A warning must state the violation, the penalty, its amount and the penalty if the violation is repeated. Article 68 of the Regulations lists these items, and this template includes all of them.
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- Every clause cites its article
Employers use the written warning more than any other disciplinary document, and they often draft it badly. The usual version is a general note telling the employee they made a mistake. It names no violation, no penalty and no occurrence, so it is of little use in a labour court.
Article 68 of the Executive Regulations lists what the employee must be told in writing: the penalty imposed, its type, its amount, and the penalty they will face if the violation is repeated. It also says how to serve the notice if the employee refuses to receive it, refuses to sign, or is absent.
Check one thing first: is the penalty more than a fine of one day's wage? If it is, Article 64 of the Regulations says it cannot be imposed until the employee has been told of the violation in writing, heard, and had their defence examined. All of this goes in a minute filed in their personal file.
The statutory basis
Article 68 of the Regulations
Notify the employee in writing of the penalty, its type, its amount and the penalty for a repeat. If they refuse to receive or sign it, or are absent, serve it 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 for a repeat if one hundred and eighty days have passed since the employee 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, and fines deducted in a month may not exceed five days' wage.
Article 69 of the Regulations
Each employee has a penalties sheet, kept in their service file, recording the violation, its date and the penalty.
Warning text
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
- 01Check that the violation appears in your approved work regulations. A penalty with no clause behind it has no basis.
- 02Count the occurrence correctly. The penalty escalates if the violation recurs within one hundred and eighty days of the employee being notified of the previous penalty.
- 03If the penalty is more than one day's wage, start with the investigation minute, not the warning.
- 04Watch both deadlines: thirty days from discovery to open an investigation, and thirty days from establishing the violation to impose the penalty.
- 05Fill in the repeat-penalty clause from your schedule. Article 68 makes it mandatory.
- 06Give the employee a copy and record that they received it. If they refuse, send it by registered mail or to the email address in the contract.
- 07File a copy, record it on the penalties sheet, and enter any fine in the fines register.
Common mistakes
No amount and no repetition clause
Article 68 requires the notice to state the type, the amount and the penalty for a repeat.
Two penalties for one violation
Article 63 allows only one penalty per violation. A fine plus a suspension for the same incident breaks that rule.
Exceeding the deduction cap
A fine for one violation may not exceed five days' wage, and fines deducted in one month may not exceed five days' wage.
Acting too late
If thirty days pass from discovery with no investigation step, disciplinary action is no longer possible. If thirty days pass after the violation is established, the penalty can no longer be imposed.
Verbal notification
The Regulations require written notice. If the employee refuses it or is absent, they set out two other ways to serve it.
How Barez saves you filling it in by hand
The violation generates the notice
Logging a violation in Barez produces a notice with the required items, so nobody writes the letter from scratch.
Occurrence is computed
The system works out the occurrence from the employee record and the counting window. It shows the penalty for this occurrence and for the next one.
Delivery is timestamped
Delivery and reading are recorded in the audit trail. That record is what an employer needs in a dispute.
Flagged when the cap is passed
When a month's fines exceed five days' wage, payroll flags it so you can spread the excess over later months.
Sources
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.
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Frequently asked questions
Is an investigation required before every warning?
Not before every one. Article 64 of the Regulations requires written notification, a hearing and examination of the defence, recorded in a filed minute, for any penalty above a fine of one day's wage. For lighter penalties the questioning may be verbal, but Article 71 of the Law still requires it to be recorded in the minute.
When does a previous warning stop counting?
Under Article 61, the penalty cannot be escalated once one hundred and eighty days have passed since the employee was notified of the penalty for the previous violation.
What if the employee refuses to accept the warning?
Article 68 covers this. Send the warning by registered mail to the address on file, or to the personal email stated in the contract or held by the employer. Service by either method has full legal effect.
Can the employee challenge the penalty?
Yes. Under Article 71 the employee can file a written grievance within thirty days, excluding official holidays, and must get an answer within fifteen days, also excluding official holidays. After that, they can go to the labour courts.
Templates and forms
Continue from here
Investigation minute template
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Article 80: dismissal without gratuity
Where the disciplinary ladder ends and termination begins.
Written warnings that hold up
More on what makes a warning valid.
Work regulations template
A penalty needs a clause in an approved regulation.
Investigation minute template: the step before any penalty
No penalty above a fine of one day's wage may be imposed until the employee has been notified in writing, heard, and had their defence examined, with a minute filed in their personal file. This template is that minute.
Ready templateExperience certificate template: the four items the Law requires
Article 64 requires the employer to give a free service certificate when the employee asks for one. It lists the four items the certificate shows and bans anything that may harm the employee's reputation or reduce their employment prospects.
Official route guideWork regulations: the unified template and how it is approved
The ministry issues a unified template for work regulations and approves them through its own service. A file downloaded from a website and signed internally has no standing. This guide covers both approval routes and the records you must keep.
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