Free Zone & Mainland HR Advisory

Overview

UAE employment rules are not uniform. Mainland companies follow Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 under MOHRE. DIFC applies its own Employment Law with the DEWS savings scheme. ADGM has separate employment regulations. Other free zones apply federal law with zone-specific variations. Using the wrong template in the wrong jurisdiction is a compliance failure.

Key Differences We Navigate

Contract formats and registration, end-of-service gratuity vs. funded savings schemes (DEWS), working-hours and leave variations, probation and notice rules, disciplinary frameworks, and dispute-resolution channels per jurisdiction.

• Jurisdiction Mapping: Confirming exactly which employment law governs each of your entities and employees.
• Contract Alignment: Jurisdiction-correct employment contracts — MOHRE templates, DIFC contracts, or ADGM formats.
• End-of-Service Regimes: Statutory gratuity on the mainland vs. DEWS contributions in DIFC — correctly calculated for each.
• Policy Harmonization: One group handbook with jurisdiction-specific annexes where rules diverge.
• Employee Transfers: Documentation guidance when staff move between your mainland and free zone entities.

Cross-Jurisdiction Mistakes We Fix

Frequent issues in multi-entity groups:

• MOHRE contract templates issued to DIFC employees (or vice versa).
• Gratuity accruals maintained for staff who should be on DEWS contributions.
• One-size-fits-all policies that contradict the governing law of a specific entity.