Muscat: The Ministry of Labour has promulgated Ministerial Decision No. 619/2024, which delineates the framework for the regulation of the labor systems within the private sector.
Article One of this decision stipulates that employers who have a workforce of 25 or more individuals are required to compile a list detailing the penalties and conditions for their imposition, adhering to the prescribed format and guidelines of this decision:
Punctuality: The penalties for tardiness are contingent upon the duration of the delay and whether it interferes with the workflow.
- Delay up to 15 minutes without disruption: The consequences include a written warning and a deduction of 5% from the employee's daily wage for the first offense, 10% for the second, 15% for the third, and 20% for the fourth.
Should an employee arrive 15 minutes or more late without prior authorization or a valid excuse, and the delay does not disrupt the workflow, the employee will be subject to a written warning and a deduction of 5% from their daily wage for the second offense. A deduction of 10% from their daily wage will be applied for the third offense, and a deduction of 20% for the fourth offense.
- Delay resulting in disruption of work: A written warning is issued, and a deduction of 15% from the employee's daily wage is applied for the first offense, 25% for the second, 50% for the third, and 100% for the fourth.
Should an employee arrive 15 minutes or more late without prior authorization or a valid excuse, and the delay disrupts the workflow, the employee will receive a written warning and a deduction of 15% from their daily wage for the second offense. A deduction of 25% from their daily wage will be applied for the third offense, and a deduction of 50% for the fourth offense.
-15 to 30 minutes of disrupted work time: A deduction of 15% will be applied for the first offense, 25% for the second, 50% for the third, and a full deduction of 100% will be implemented for subsequent offenses.
Should an employee arrive late for work, arriving between 15 to 30 minutes past their scheduled start time, without prior authorization or a valid justification and if this lateness results in a temporary disruption to the workflow, a deduction from their salary will be made. The amount of the deduction will vary based on the severity of the incident, with the following rates:
-For the first offense, a deduction of 15% will be applied.
-For the second offense, a deduction of 25% will be applied.
-For the third offense, a deduction of 50% will be applied.
-For the fourth and subsequent offenses, a deduction of 100% will be applied.
Additionally, should an employee arrive more than 60 minutes late without permission or a legitimate excuse, and if this delay causes a work stoppage, a similar deduction system will apply. The rates for these deductions are as follows:
-For the first offense, a deduction of 50% will be applied.
-For the second offense, a deduction of 75% will be applied.
-For the third offense, a deduction of 100% will be applied.
-For the fourth and subsequent offenses, a deduction of 150% will be applied.
- Duration: A deduction of 75% will be applied for the first offense, increasing to 100% for the second, 150% for the third, and 200% for the fourth.
Should an employee arrive late to work without prior authorization or a valid excuse, and this lateness does not result in a disruption to work operations for the first instance, a deduction of 75% will be made from their salary. For subsequent infractions, a deduction of one day's wages will be imposed for the second offense, one and a half days' wages for the third, and two days' wages for the fourth.
- Absence: The penalties for unauthorized absences also vary according to the duration of the absence.
- One-time Absence: A deduction of 25% will be applied for the first offense, increasing to 50% for the second, 100% for the third, and 200% for the fourth.
Should an employee be absent from work without permission or a valid excuse on a single occasion, a deduction of 25% from their daily wage will be made. For any subsequent infractions, a deduction of 50% will be applied. Should the violation occur for the third time, the employee will face a deduction of one day's wages, and for the fourth time, two days' wages.
- Other Infractions: Penalties for various other infractions, including early departure from work, unauthorized use of personal phones during work hours, and failure to adhere to workplace instructions, are also delineated.
- Early Departure or Late Return: A written warning will be issued for the first offense, followed by a deduction of 25% for the second, 50% for the third, and 100% for the fourth.
- Disregarding workplace regulations, such as consuming food in designated areas or utilizing personal phone devices for non-work-related activities: A deduction of 25% will be applied for the first offense, 50% for the second, 100% for the third, and 200% for the fourth.
Should an employee leave their designated exit area in a facility where such exits are mandated by the facility's guidelines, invite non-employee visitors into the workplace without the necessary authorization from the relevant department, consume food or beverages outside of designated times or areas, engage in sleeping during work hours, use the facility's phone for personal matters without prior approval, or be found in a location other than their designated place of work during working hours without a valid reason, a deduction of 25% will be made from the employee's daily salary. This deduction will increase to 50% for a second violation, one full day's salary will be deducted for a third violation, and two full days' salary will be deducted for a fourth violation.
- Failure to report data changes to the employer: A deduction of 50% will be applied for the first offense, 100% for the second, 200% for the third, and 300% for the fourth.
Should an employee fail to inform their employer of a change in their personal data within a period of seven days without a valid reason, engage in altering attendance or departure records, or violate or fail to implement work-related instructions, the employee will face a deduction of 50% from their daily salary. This deduction will increase to 100% for a second violation, 200% for a third, and 300% for a fourth.
- Incitement of violations, negligence, or causing harm: A deduction of 100% will be applied for the first offense, 200% for the second, 300% for the third, and 500% for the fourth.
If an employee encourages the violation of written orders and instructions related to work, demonstrates negligence or carelessness in performing their duties, resulting in harm to the health or safety of fellow employees, damage to materials and tools, one day's salary will be deducted, and two days' salary will be deducted for a second violation. Should the violation occur for the third time, three days' salary will be deducted, and five days' salary will be deducted for a fourth violation.
- Dozing off at work necessitating ongoing alertness: A deduction of 100% will be applied for the initial offense, 300% for the second, and 500% for the third, leading to dismissal for the fourth offense.
Should an employee succumb to sleep during duties that demand continuous vigilance, their daily salary will be reduced by the full amount for the day and an additional three days' wages will be deducted for a subsequent infraction. A deduction of five days' wages will follow for a third offense, culminating in the employee's dismissal from employment. However, a bonus may be awarded upon dismissal for a fourth offense.
- Intoxication or drug use: Termination without compensation.
Should an employee be discovered to be intoxicated or under the influence of narcotics or psychotropic substances while on duty, they will be terminated from employment without any form of compensation.
- Engaging in smoking in areas designated as off-limits: A deduction of 200% will be applied for the initial offense, 300% for the second, and 500% for the third, culminating in termination for the fourth offense.
Should an employee partake in smoking within areas that are explicitly prohibited, their daily salary will be reduced by the amount of the deduction for the first offense, followed by an additional three days' wages for a second offense. A deduction of five days' wages will be applied for a third offense, leading to the employee's termination from employment.
