Hire in Lebanon

Fixed-term contracts are executed for a particular amount of time or the completion of a specific task. These contracts are exempt from the severance pay and termination notice requirements. If a fixed-term contract is renewed, either through a renewal agreement or continuous execution, and the duration of actual employment exceeds two years from the joining date after renewal or extension, the contract becomes indefinite. In such cases, the employee is entitled to the same severance pay as would be provided under an indefinite-term contract.

The law does not prohibit pre-employment checks.

The probation period in Lebanon is three months for indefinite contracts. During probation, the employer or the employee may terminate the contract without notice. The same employee may not serve more than one probation period with the same employer, nor can it be renewed.

During probation, the employee is ineligible for any absence, including sick leave. However, if an employee wishes to take leave, it will be deemed as unpaid leave.

If the employee completes the probationary period, it must be counted as continuous service with the company.

The standard daily and weekly working hours are eight hours and 40 hours, respectively. The maximum allowable daily and weekly working hours, including overtime, are 12 and 48 hours.

If the workday exceeds six hours for men and five hours for women, the employer must ensure that employees receive at least one hour of rest in the middle of the day. Furthermore, the weekly rest period for employees should not be less than 36 consecutive hours.

The salary for overtime hours is equivalent to 1.5 times the standard hourly wage.

Notice periods must be given in writing. During a notice period, the employee must continue to work and be paid in full unless the employer specifies otherwise.

The employer or employee may pay the other party at the employee’s normal wage rate for all or a portion of the notice period.

The notice period required is dependent on the employee’s duration of service:

• Less than three years: one month
• Three to six years: two months
• Six to 12 years: three months
• More than 12 years: four months

There can be a mutual agreement to terminate a written contract without any compensation or payment of damages. However, when one party breaches the terms of the agreement, the other party can claim compensation. And, if the employee was terminated without proper notice, the employee should be compensated for not being given the notice period.

The employer may terminate the contract without indemnity or prior notice in the following circumstances:

• The employee on probation failed to satisfy the employer within the first three months of employment.
• The employee committed an intentional act or negligence that may harm the interests of the employer. But the employer must write to notify the Department of Social Affairs within three days upon verification of the act.
• Despite numerous written warnings, the employee committed three severe violations of the internal rules within a year. For these warnings to be considered officially valid, they must be filed at the Ministry of Labor within three days of serving them to the employee.
• The employee has falsely declared his/her nationality.
• The employee was absent for more than 15 days in a year or more than seven consecutive days without a lawful excuse or valid reason. The employee must notify the employer of the reasons for his absence within 24 hours upon his return. And the employer must document in writing to inform the employee of the number of days that will be regarded as absences without legal justification.

When any party terminates the employment contract due to misconduct, within one month of being notified of the termination, the party requesting compensation must file a suit.

Limitations after termination are acceptable as long as they adhere to the following general principles:

• The covenant restricting activities does not exceed what is essential to safeguard the legitimate business interests of the company.
• The limitations imposed by the covenant are reasonable concerning both geographical scope and duration.

If an employee experiences an unjust or unfair termination, they have the right to receive severance pay from the employer, which typically amounts to between two- and 12-months’ salary.

The assessment of the separation pay should consider the following factors:

• The nature of the job
• The age of the employee
• The duration of employment
• The employee’s health and family circumstances
• The extent of the harm caused
• Any misuse of the termination authority

While the Labor Law lacks explicit provisions for safeguarding employee data, recent legislation such as the e-transactions and Personal Data Law governs and oversees the collection and utilization of personal data.

Employees whose pay is based on an annual or monthly wage must be paid at least once a month.

There is no statutory requirement for employers to provide employees with payslips. However, this practice is recommended.

Employers with at least five workers are required to maintain a file for each employee that includes their name, occupation, age, nationality, address, marital status, date of employment, wages (and any adjustments to them), disciplinary sanctions, penalties imposed, occupational injuries and diseases sustained, and the date and reason for termination of employment. The file must have a leave card that details yearly leave, sick leave and other types of leave taken.

After one year of service, an employee is entitled to 15 working days of annual leave with compensation. The employer may select the time of this annual break based on the needs of the business.

Employers employing more than 15 employees onboard must provide a different annual leave scheme, composed of the following:

• 15 working days of annual leave (up to five years tenure)
• 17 working days of annual leave (five to 10 years tenure)
• 19 working days of annual leave (10 to 15 years tenure)
• 21 working days of annual leave (above 15 years’ tenure)

By market practice, employers apply the rule for the 15-employees annual leave entitlement even if they employ fewer staff.

Employees cannot be terminated on their annual leave unless they are working for another employer at that time.

Public holidays are flexible in Lebanon. Usually, there are 15 public holidays.

On public holidays, employees are entitled to a day off with pay. If required, an employer may ask an employee to work on a holiday. In such situations, the employer must provide the employee with a day off on another day and pay them at their regular rate.

The duration and payout of sick leave are dependent on the employee’s tenure:

• Three months to two years: 0.5 month with full pay + 0.5 month with half pay
• Two years to four years: 1 month with full pay + 1 month with half pay
• Four years to six years: 1.5 months with full pay + 1.5 months with half pay
• Six years to 10 years: 2 months with full pay + 2 months with half pay
• More than 10 years: 2.5 months with full pay + 2.5 months with half pay

The employee is granted sick leave based on a medical report. The company may request that its own physician confirm the information contained in an employee’s medical report.

If this duration exceeds one month within one contractual year, the employer may cut annual leave to eight days for that specific contractual year only.

The employee cannot be terminated while on sick leave unless he or she is employed by another company at that time.

Female employees are granted a maternity leave of 10 weeks, which encompasses days both before and after the delivery date, contingent upon the presentation of a medical certificate specifying the expected due date. The pre-natal leave period should not surpass 20 days, while the post-natal leave period should not fall below 50 days.

Furthermore, it is prohibited for an employer to terminate or issue notice of termination to an employee who is pregnant or currently on maternity leave.

Employees have the right to paid leave for a duration of up to three days upon the death of a first-level relative, comprising father, mother, spouse, child, grandchild, sister, brother, grandfather, or grandmother.

For the demise of a second-level relative, such as an uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, father-in-law, or mother-in-law, employees are entitled to paid leave for a period of up to two days.

In the event of the passing of a third-level relative, including first-degree cousin, second-degree cousin, or grandparents’ siblings, employees are granted paid leave for up to one day.

Upon returning to work, employees are required to furnish proof of the death (e.g., obituary paper) to the Human Resources department.

Employees are entitled to a one-week paid leave for their marriage, which is granted as a one-time benefit during their tenure with the company.