Skip to content
← All guidesHiring

New employee: the eight things to do before and during week one

4 min read · Updated

1. Offer in writing

Use the job offer from the library: title, department, start date, contract type and length, probation, basic and allowances, hours, leave, insurance, validity date. A signed offer removes most 'you promised me' disputes.

2. Contract on Qiwa before the first day

Create the contract on Qiwa from the unified template, add the probation clause and any extra terms that do not reduce the law's rights, and have the employee accept it on their Qiwa account. For a non-Saudi, the transfer of sponsorship or the visa happens here too.

3. GOSI and insurance

Register on GOSI from the start date with the correct basic and housing. Add the employee (and dependants where the contract says so) to the medical insurance; the insurer needs the iqama or ID and the policy must cover the iqama period.

4. Bank account for the wage

Salaries go by bank transfer. Get the IBAN on day one; for a new arrival, the bank needs the iqama, so open the account as soon as it is issued and pay the first month on time into it.

5. The file

One folder per employee: offer, Qiwa contract, ID or iqama copy, certificates, GOSI registration, insurance card, bank letter, signed handbook acknowledgement, emergency contact. Everything the law later asks for lives here.

6. Day one to day five

Day one: tools, access, a named buddy, lunch with the manager. Day two: the handbook explained, attendance rules and how leave is requested. Day three to five: first real task with a deadline. Thursday: a fifteen-minute check: what is unclear?

7. The 30-60-90 plan

Write three goals for day 30, 60 and 90 using the template in the library and review them on those days. Probation decisions made against written goals are fair and defensible.

8. Before probation ends

Decide in writing at least two weeks before the probation end: confirm (probation confirmation letter) or end (Art 54, no benefit, no compensation, within the written period only). Silence confirms the employee by default.

Checklist

Ticks stay on this page only; print it to keep a copy.

Need help applying this?

Book a free 20-minute consultation and get a straight answer about your situation.

Book a call