ADMINISTRATION
The administrative role of an HR personnel is heavily oriented to processing and record keeping. Maintaining employee files, and HR related databases, processing employee benefit claims, answering queries regarding leave, transport and medical facilities, submitting required reports to regulatory agencies are examples of the administrative nature of HR management in Qatar. These activities must be performed efficiently and effectively to meet changing requirements of employees, customers and the government.
Let us have a look at the administrative tasks required in Qatar:
Qatar ID or Residency Permit
It is mandatory for the companies to apply Qatar ID or Residency Permit for the workers. Qatar Residency Permit or Qatar ID can only be issued to a person who has traveled to Qatar on a Work Visa. On a broad scale the Residency Permits are divided into 2 categories in Qatar; 1. Professional- those who are having professional jobs such as, Administrative Staff, Engineers, Doctors, Specialists, Accountants etc. 2. Laborers: the workers like laborers, construction workers, cleaners, gardeners, electricians, masons and mechanics etc. come under this category.
Required Documents:
- Residency Permit Application Form with Finger Print Department Report on it, printed from Hukoomi, www.gov.qa.
- Original Passport of employee.
- Medical Fit report from Medical Commission of Qatar.
- Blood Group Report.
- Passport sized photographs with Blue background.
- Labor Contract (English & Arabic) attested from Labor Department of Qatar.
- Duly attested and translated in Arabic Original and Copies of Educational/Academic Documents, if the visa category is professional. The original documents will be given back same time.
Health Insurances
Every employer is responsible to provide free medical treatment in case of sickness to the workers. There are many medical insurance companies providing medical cards on annual subscriptions which can be used to avail medical services from different private hospitals within the states. However, the most of the companies choose to apply health cards from the Government added Hamad Hospital due to its cost effectiveness.
Required Documents:
- Copy of Qatar Residency permit or Qatar ID or Copies of Passport and Visa in case the Qatar ID is not yet available.
- 2 Passport sized pictures.
Work Flow:
- Filling the form and submitting to Hamad Hospital with complete documents.
- Receiving the Health cards and issue to employees after keeping copy into the personnel file.
Insurances- Workmen Compensation
Workers should be insured by employer so that if there is any work injury or casualty happened to employees, it can be covered by the Insurance.
Accommodation management
Most of the expatriates are provided with accommodations by the company. It is necessary to confirm that the company accommodations are in good condition and are complying with the specifications provided by Qatar Civil Defense and Municipality Department. There are specific areas where bachelor workers cannot be accommodated for many reasons. Transporting the workers to and from work sites may create inconvenience to residents of areas. So the government authority had specified the areas where workers cannot be accommodated.
Tasks involved:
- Check Civil Defense, Municipality and Labor Department specifications for an Accommodation.
- Define policies for accommodation allotment.
- Develop accommodation rules and regulations for employees to follow. Which shall include, in housing rules, rules for utilizing common facilities, rules for maintaining cleanliness and harmony. Also brief safety instructions about emergency situations.
- Examine the distance of accommodations and work locations, always keep google road maps.
- Issue room numbers when allotting accommodations to the employees.
- Keep a list of allotment always handy.
- Keep the contact details of Camp Boss, if any and or maintenance team so that emergency situations can be addressed.
- Place safety, fire preventing signs in the accommodation.
- Place a notice board which can help you to notify the employees regarding new policies or office memos.
- Deploy appropriate transportation arrangements according the work locations of workers.
Establishing code of conduct in office and at different work sites.
It is important to define the rules and regulations in a book of code of conduct for the employees. These regulations apply to all. All employees must comply with these Regulations.
The code of conduct may include:
DUTIES OF EMPLOYEES
General Obligation
Ethics and integrity are the responsibility of every Employee should be clearly mentioned in the code of conduct. Employees shall be advised to have an obligation to exercise utmost fairness, honesty, objectivity, and diligence and maintain an exemplary level of ethical behavior in the performance of their duties for the organization, and shall reject bribery or any other conflict of interest as such in all its forms.
Conduct
The code of conduct shall include guidelines for employees that employees shall exhibit loyalty in all matters pertaining to the affairs of the organization and shall not knowingly be a part of any illegal, unethical or improper activity.
Decisions and Recommendations
Guidelines to the employees to take all reasonable care when making business decisions and
recommendations and shall reveal all material facts to approving authorities of the company shall be included in a code of conduct.
Compliance with Laws and Regulations
The introduction of local customary laws should be portraited so that the employees shall in the performance of their duties for the company take reasonable care to acquaint themselves and to comply with applicable laws, regulations and policies and procedures. Unlawful acts or breaches in company policy or procedure are not acceptable whatever the jurisdiction. Good motives are not an excuse for committing illegal acts or breaches in company policy and procedure.
Accounts and Records
Instructions should be issued for Employees to maintain accurate accounts and records of all commercial dealings,payments and receipts conducted or made for and on behalf of the company. These records shall as accurately as reasonably possible reflect the business transactions of the company and the disposition of its assets. Employees shall not make any false or misleading entries in the accounts or records of the company. Proper approval cycle should be explained for making such expenses.
Interest of the Company
It should be made clear that the Employees shall always employ all reasonable endeavors to act in the interests of the company in the performance of their duties.
Continuous Improvement
Employees shall continually strive for improvement in the proficiency and effectiveness of their work for the Company.
Discrimination
Employees shall treat all persons fairly regardless of such factors as race, color, national
origin, sex, marital status, age, religion, creed or political belief, physical handicap or
disability, or status.
PROHIBITED DEEDS
The following guidelines can be included in this section
Confidentiality
Write to employees that employees shall not disclose Confidential Information gained during their employment, except as necessary to perform their duties and then only on a “need to know” basis. Such information shall also not be used for personal gain, or in a way that may be detrimental to the welfare, interest or image of the Company.Confidential Information means any and all information directly or indirectly disclosed or provided by or on behalf of the Company, in whatever format and irrespective of the medium in which it is contained, acquired or produced by the Company, its affiliates,joint venture partners, contractors or suppliers, including without limitation, plans, budgets, agreements, drawings, reports, specifications, calculations, and all other documents and information relating to the customers, business, assets or affairs of the Company.In addition to the above, Employees shall adhere to the Corporate Information Security Guidelines, as amended from time to time.
Preferential Treatment
Include that Employees shall not provide any information or assistance to Entities in their dealings with the Company where such assistance or information may potentially benefit such an Entity above other Entities in their dealings with the Company, or where the provision of such assistance or information may potentially be construed as preferential treatment for any Entity.
Sexual Harassment
Policies to ensure that Employees shall understand sexual harassment and that employees of the Company shall not sexually harass or sexually intimidate other people.
DISCIPLINARY ACCOUNTABILITY
The disciplinary actions shall be summarized in this section as per below samples:
Disciplinary Accountability
Every employee who violates the provisions of these regulations shall be disciplinary accountable.
Disciplinary Action
The Company’s Disciplinary Committee shall review reports on violation of these Regulations. The Disciplinary Committee shall decide on the appropriate disciplinary action in accordance with the Company’s established disciplinary procedures.
As it is mentioned in Labor Law of Qatar, setting up a Code of Conduct is mandatory for companies larger than 10 persons:
Article (46) of Qatar Labor Law
The employer who employs ten or more workers shall make regulations for the organization of the work in his establishment. The coming in to force of these regulations and any amendments thereto shall be conditional on their production to the Department for the approval thereof. If the Department does not notify the approval of such regulations within one month from the date of their submission they shall be considered to have been approved.
Such regulations shall be posted at a conspicuous place in the establishment for the perusal thereof by the workers and shall not be effective against them until the expiry of 15 days from the date of the announcement thereof.
The Minister may by a decision determine the form of the regulations regulating the work for the guidance of the employers.
- Record Control
Record control of personnel is very important administrative activity in HR Management.
it is vital to manage proper Administration of documents, files, and records created or received by an organization to ensure proper authorization and procedure for having access to or handling of records.
On a broad perspective the following records are required to maintain:
- Employee database- Employee Master List
In this detailed employee database, you can keep following details:
- Employee Code, Employee Name should be entered same as appears in the Passport of employee, Date of Joining, Job Role/Designation, Project/Department of employee, Direct Supervisor, Nationality, Age, Gender, Passport No., Passport Expiry, Visa No., Qatar ID No., Qatar ID Expiry, Salary Details, Vacation entitlements, other benefits and entitlements.
- Personnel files to keep all documents related to employees.
- It is important to keep hard and scanned copies of official documents of employees and as well as records of all the communications and actions taken with regards to employment of employees shall be kept into personnel files.
- List of salary grades, benefits and other entitlements. History of salary rate change and promotions.
- Employee vacations and leave history.
- Attendance sheets of employees.
- Monthly payroll sheets.
- History of Payments made for End of Service Benefits.
- List of loans and advances paid to the employees.
- List of Air Tickets provided to the employees.
- List of Accommodations and Transportation like facilities including the description of distribution to the employees.
- List of disciplinary actions taken and penalties inflicted there off.
- Records of Trainings, Performance Appraisals and Employee Surveys.
Article (48) of Qatar Labor Law
The employer shall maintain the following registers:
1. The workers’ register which shall in particular contain the names, nationalities, jobs, amounts of wage, date of commencement of work, marital status, academic and professional qualifications, leaves of the workers and the penalties inflicted upon him.
2. The wages’ register, where the names of the workers in the order of their engagement in the work, the amounts of daily, weekly or monthly wages, or piece or production wages and their additions in respect of every worker, the additional wages paid to them, the amounts of deductions and the net wages received by every worker.
3. The register of total penalties where the monetary penalties are inflicted upon the workers and the total amount thereof shall be entered.
4. The register of work injuries where the work injuries sustained by every worker shall be entered.
5. The end of service register where the names of the workers whose services have been terminated, the dates and causes of the termination and the entitlements paid to them or to their heirs shall be entered.