Employee handbooks (UAE)
Custom employee handbooks for tech and gaming companies in the UAE, covering Labour Law compliance, remote work policies, IP protections, and disciplinary frameworks.
What our clients face
Scaling teams without written policies
Growing tech and gaming companies in the UAE reach a point where informal HR practices no longer work. Once a team exceeds 15-20 people, the absence of a written employee handbook creates real risk — inconsistent treatment of staff, unclear disciplinary procedures, and potential violations of UAE Labour Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021).
International hires expecting clear guidance
Companies with international hires face additional complexity: employees accustomed to European or US workplace norms need clear guidance on UAE-specific rules around probation, gratuity, visa sponsorship, and working hours.
Investment readiness and governance gaps
Investment-ready startups need documented HR policies — due diligence teams flag missing handbooks as a governance gap.
Post-audit remediation
Post-audit remediation is another common trigger, particularly after MOHRE inspections or internal complaints that reveal policy gaps.
Our approach
Current state review
Identify existing policies, contracts, and gaps against UAE Labour Law requirements.
Core handbook drafting
Code of conduct, working hours, leave entitlements (annual, sick, maternity leave under Art. 30, parental leave under Art. 32, bereavement leave under Art. 32), probation terms, termination and gratuity calculations.
Remote and hybrid work policies
Work-from-home arrangements, cross-border remote work implications, equipment and expense provisions, time tracking and availability expectations. UAE law recognises flexible work models (Art. 7), but remote and hybrid arrangements remain largely a contractual and policy matter rather than a codified legal framework — we structure these sections to protect you in that gap.
IP and confidentiality sections
Copyright assignment for source code and creative assets (Federal Law No. 7 of 2002), trade secret and proprietary data protection, NDA obligations, handling of source code and unreleased content — particularly relevant for gaming studios and content platforms.
Social media and content creation policies
Personal streaming and content creation guidelines, company brand usage, restrictions on sharing in-development projects — particularly relevant for gaming studios and content platforms.
Disciplinary framework
Disciplinary procedures aligned with Article 39 sanctions (written notice through termination), with graduated escalation steps as a best-practice safeguard. The law requires proportionate sanctions and that the employee be heard before any penalty is imposed, but does not mandate a specific escalation sequence — we build one to reduce your litigation risk. Investigation protocols, documentation requirements, grounds for termination with and without notice.
Benefits and perks documentation
Health insurance, education allowances, stock option references, end-of-service benefits beyond statutory minimums.
Stages of work
Policy audit
We audit your current employment contracts, offer letters, and any existing internal policies to map what you have against what UAE law and your operational reality require.
Stakeholder interviews
We conduct interviews with HR leads and department managers to understand actual working practices — shift patterns, remote work arrangements, content creation workflows, and recurring HR issues.
Full handbook drafting
We draft the full handbook, structured in plain language that employees will actually read, with UAE Labour Law compliance built into every section.
Review and alignment
We review the draft with your HR and legal teams, incorporate feedback, and ensure alignment with your employment contracts — eliminating contradictions between individual agreements and company-wide policies.
Delivery and rollout
We deliver the final handbook in Arabic and English, with Arabic as the legally authoritative version. We provide a rollout checklist for distribution and employee acknowledgment, and offer annual review retainers to keep policies current with regulatory changes.
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