In the UAE, employees get benefits when they leave their jobs, and this includes domestic workers.
Unlike in big companies where the HR department handles these benefits, families need to figure it out themselves for their housemaids and nannies. It gets tricky when certain things happen. What if the nanny quits for no reason? Or if they were unfairly fired? Do they still get benefits if the contract is broken? And can the employer ask for money if a housemaid leaves before the contract ends? To make it easier, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) made an online calculator. It quickly tells you how much gratuity someone should get based on different situations.
Here's how to use it:
Step 1: Keep the job contract ready
You will need to know details about the domestic worker's employment, so it's best to keep the contract handy.
Step 2: Go to Mohre's official website
Log into https://www.mohre.gov.ae/ and, on the home page, click on the 'Services' tab. On the drop-down list, you'll see the 'Domestic Workers Calculator'.
Step 3: Fill out the basic details
Upon clicking on the calculator option, you will be directed to a simple form.
The basic information you have to enter includes the contract's start and end date and the salary of the worker.
You'll also need to specify the reason why the worker is leaving. There are four options:
- Contract ended
- Worker resigned for no reason
- Worker resigned because the employer breached the contract
- Worker dismissed for no reason
- Worker dismissed for breaching the contract
Take note that the 'total allowances' amount at the bottom changes depending on the selection. If you click on 'worker resigned for no reason', you will find a negative amount, which means this is how much the housemaid or nanny needs to pay for breaching the contract. For example, if it displays -1800, it means the amount that the employer should get is Dh1,800.
Step 4: Enter unpaid allowances
Domestic workers are entitled to other benefits like annual leave salary, and if he/she suffers injuries while on the job, compensation must be paid by the employer, too.
There are four boxes at the bottom of the calculator. Here's what they mean:
- Specific period salary: Enter any unpaid salary for a certain period
- Annual leave salary: Specify the duration of unclaimed leave or leaves that the employer failed to pay
- Weekend allowance: Specify weekends when the employee was asked to work
- Work injury: If a worker suffers an injury while on duty, the employer will need to provide compensation depending on the severity of the condition. The 'disability percentage' has to be specified to determine the amount (Medical reports and official records would usually identify this percentage).
Step 5: See the amount
The amount displayed in the 'total allowances' box is what the employer has to pay as an end-of-service benefit. If it's negative, it means the domestic worker will have to pay the employer.
News Source: Khaleej Times
