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ETA STAR GROUP

Employee Handbook
Human Resources Development Division
P.O.Box: 5239, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 4 2660583, Fax: +971 4 2681978
CONTENTS
03 Welcome Letter

05 Introduction

07 Vision & Values

08 Safety & Health Policy

09 Commitment towards Quality

10 Things to be done on arrival

11 UAE in brief

14 HR Practices

20 Legal documents & Procedures

10
22 Legal documents
Employee & Procedures
Resignation & Termination

23 Employee Benefits

44 Employee Disposition

46 Intranet Facilities

48 Important Contact Numbers

02 Employee Hand Book


Welcome Letter

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to ETA STAR Group.

On behalf of the management and 71,000 employees of the Group, I welcome you to the
family of ETA STAR Group. The Group has grown during the last three decades with
teamwork, effort and cooperation of its committed employees.

We are sure that you would help elevate ETA STAR standard of performance, quality
and commitment in the pursuit of customer satisfaction.

We hope that you realize the value, which is placed on you as an individual and trust
that the work opportunities provided match your aspirations.

This Handbook would help you to acquaint your self with the company.

We wish you a long and rewarding career with us.

SYED M. SALAHUDDIN
Managing Director

Employee Hand Book 03


Disclaimer:
Liability: The information available in this Employee Handbook are subject to change
and also does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy,
completeness, or usefulness of any information, disclosed.

Unrestricted permission concerning the use, copying or distribution of this information


in the Employee Handbook is strictly prohibited. All the employees are advised to check
the information with their respective divisions to make any decision with the respect to
particulars mentioned in the Employee Handbook.

Copyright © 2008 . Corporate Services -HRD


ETA STAR Group – Dubai, UAE

04 Employee Hand Book


Introduction

In 1972, Mr B.S.Abdul Rahman, A Hong Kong based Indian diamond and jewellery
merchant who also had interests in the Indian construction industry, met the
Mr. Al Ghurairʼs in London. To discuss construction projects in Dubai. Traditionally
pearl merchants and real estate owners, the Al Ghurairʼs a leading family in Dubai real-
ized the potential of such a venture emerging in Middle Eastern market, which was then
on the verge of a massive growth with its oil wealth. A deal was signed between the two
partners, Al Ghurair Group ,Dubai and Amana Investments Ltd., the Hong Kong based
company of Mr B.S.Abdul Rahman and a partnership was born with the launching of
Associated Constructions and Investments (ASCON).

The construction boom in the Arabian Gulf in the 1970s and 1980s witnessed what is
still regarded as one of the largest and most ambitious construction programs of the 20th
century. Such a massive development naturally had to supported with a vast and wide
variety of construction supplies such as cement, steel, wood, plumbing and sanitary ware
as also other needs like electromechanical works, elevators and air-conditioning – a vital
requirement for the extreme Middle-East summer.

With the entry of ASCON to the construction arena in Dubai the partners realized that
there was dearth in the construction supplies sector. Recognizing that there existed po-
tential for a still larger business by serving the needs of the construction industry itself,
another business venture was inevitable: thus was born Emirates Trading Agency (ETA)
in 1973, now better known globally as ETA.

Beginning with the trading of building materials for the construction industry, ETA has
today diversified in to several areas of business. The ETA STAR Group, as it is known,
is engaged in a wide range of activities: Shipping, Trading, Construction, Electrome-
chanical works, Air-conditioning, Elevators, Automobiles services, Building Mainte-
nance, Electronics, Fashion, Jewellery,Retailing to name a few.

Customer confidence in the two companies of ETA and ASCON has been the corner-
stone to its success. The complimenting nature in the activities of the two companies
to the construction sector has earned the Group the joint name ETA ASCON STAR
Group from construction circles. With headquarters in Dubai, the ETA-STAR Group
network encompasses 140 branches and associate offices in 22 countries employing
above 71,000 people. The Groupʼs consolidated sales for the year 2008 was over US$ 5
Billion. The corporate head office is located in Dubai. In three decades, the Group has
established an enviable reputation for quality, service and cost-effective technological
capability, through farsightedness and sheer professionalism.

Employee Hand Book 05


ETA ASCON STAR GROUP
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chairman
Abdulla Ahmed Al Ghurair

Executive Vice Chairman Managing Director


B.S. Abdul Rahman Syed M. Salahuddin

Director Director Director


Aziz Abdulla Al Ghurair Essa Abdulla Al Ghurair Khalid Abdulla Al Ghurair

Joint Managing Director Group Director


P.S.M. Habibulla Arif Buhary Rahman

06 Employee Hand Book


Vision & Values

Our Vision:
“Quality is our single-minded pursuit in the application of new technologies. In
our wide ranging diversity, we innovate continuously as we strive to provide
complete satisfaction to our customers and shareholders”

Our Values:
We are committed to observing the ETA-ASCON STAR Group values of Re
spect, Teamwork, Innovation, Customer Service and getting results in every
aspect of business that we undertake. We pride ourselves on our reputation for
integrity and high ethical standards. As a company we believe -

u We will observe all laws and regulations applicable to our business in the UAE.

u As a staff member you should not place yourself in a position liable to criticism
that you have acted in any way for your personal benefit while conducting the
companyʼs business.

u Confidential or proprietary information, which you obtain in the course of your


employment, must not be disclosed to persons outside the company or should not
be used for your own benefit or for the benefit of others.

You are the Ambassadors of the company to all our customers and we expect you,
not just to comply with the law, but also to conduct yourselves in the manner that
upholds our reputation and high standards.

Employee Hand Book 07


Safety & Health Policy

The Management of ETA STAR Group of Companies holds in high regard the safety,
welfare and health of its employees. We firmly believe that every employee is entitled to
work under the safest possible conditions. All possible efforts will be made in the inter-
est of accident prevention in all our work sites, workshops and projects. We do realize
that it is a good business practice to guard against accidents and occupational diseases.
Preventing accidents will reduce the associated costs and increase the morale of the em-
ployees, which is an intangible benefit to the organization.

It is our belief that taking specific safety precautions can prevent all accidents, which
injure people, damage machinery and destroy materials. All employees in our Group of
Companies are expected to perform their duties without compromising the safety guide-
lines issued from time to time. Safety requirements will be an integral part of all our sys-
tems and it will be carefully planned and controlled in the day-to-day operation. Hence
it is primarily a line function and the safety personnel will work as catalyst/functional
experts in advising the line staff to manage safety efficiently. They will audit the compa-
nyʼs operations on a continuous basis to ensure whether the existing safety systems are
adequate enough. We have a responsibility not to endanger the environment due to our
operations and will do our best to preserve it to the possible extent.

a) Procedures to be followed in the event of an accident

In case of any accident in your site involving injuries to any workmen, all staff members
are expected to comply with the following procedure:

u Do not panic and inform the Site Safety Engineer and the Project Manager, and
do not assume that if others come to know about the lapses, due to which the ac
cident happened, you or the site management might be in trouble.

u Evacuate other employees from the scene of accident and barricade the area to
ensure that evidences are not damaged or altered inadvertently

u If the injury is minor in nature, rush the injured person to nearest first aid center.
But if the injuries are severe in nature call the Police and Ambulance immedi
ately.

u Tampering with evidences under the above assumption is a serious misconduct


and you may be liable for punishment by the Legal Authorities.

u Inform all major injury accidents to H.O. and HRM Division immediately.

The contact persons in the case of major accidents are :

HSE Department - Mr. M. Kamarajan – General Manager (050-6520487) and


Secretary to Executive Director - HR - Mr. S. Bala (055 -3730251).

08 Employee Hand Book


Commitment towards Quality

ETA STAR Group has set its prime objective to achieve customer satisfaction in Qual-
ity, Cost, Delivery and Morale by establishing & implementing quality processes in its
operations.

The items in quality include reducing and totally eliminating defects, failures, number of
complaints & enhancing customer satisfaction. The items regarding cost include im-
proving productivity, price strategies and general finances like sales revenue and market
share. Delivery includes the job completion on time. Morale includes satisfaction of
stakeholders and employee skills and training.

Most of ETA STAR Divisions have embraced ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management Sys-
tem as a tool to set standards & monitor performance to achieve the planned perform-
ance targets. HR assists the Divisions in documenting quality processes, audit and ISO
certification. The Divisional employees are continuously trained to acquire the knowl-
edge and skills in managing the Quality Management System.

HR provides the necessary assistance in preparing Quality Award documentation &


review of progress in the award application process. The HRM-HRD Divisions of ETA
STAR and ETA STAR Group have been awarded the ISO 9001:2000 certification. Cars
Taxi has been awarded the ISO 9001:2000 certification by Lloyds Register Quality
Assurance for quality control, operations, fleet management, driver selection and train-
ing. M&E division has won Dubai Quality and Sheikh Khalifa Appreciation Awards.
Giordano has won Dubai Quality Appreciation & EMCO has won Sheikh Khalifa
Appreciation Awards. Recently ETA Star Properties has been certified with the ISO
9001:2000 International Quality Management Standard, making the Dubai-headquar-
tered company the first and only property developer in the region to receive the prestig-
ious recognition.

Employee Hand Book 09


On Arrival

Note: All the employees are requested to carry photocopy of the passport and the
visa at all times for identification purposes, until you have received the Employee
Work Permit (Pathaka).

u All the new joiners are requested to attend an induction program conducted at
HRD Division.

u You will be given a salary advance of Dhs.700/- on arrival, which is recoverable


in 2 months installments.

u All the newly joined employees need to complete a medical examination in


the Government hospital or Prime Medical Center. For Dubai and Abu Dhabi
visa holders, the employeesʼ have to go to the hospitals in the respective cities
with the required documents as advised by the Personnel Department.

u You will be provided with sharing accommodation in the companyʼs guesthouse


for a maximum period of 15 days. During this period you shall make your ac
commodation arrangements and vacate the guesthouse. On vacating the guest
house, you may take six months house rent allowance, as applicable to your
grade, in advance by filling up the form attached as Annexure I (CHECK) and
submit the same to your Personnel Department.

u Kindly note your staff number, which will be provided by HRM Division / re
spective Personnel Department.

10 Employee Hand Book


UAE In Brief

Country profile – Geography:

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) comprise the seven member states of Abu Dhabi, the
capital city, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.
The total area of the Federation is about 83,600 square kilometers, much of it in Abu
Dhabi emirate. Dubai, with an area of 3,885 square kilometers, is the second largest
emirate. Situated on the banks of the Dubai Creek, a natural inlet from the Gulf which
divides the city into the Deira district to its north and Bur Dubai on its south, the city
ranks as the UAEʼs most important port and commercial center.

The UAE has 700 kilometers of coastline, of which 100 kilometers are on the Gulf of
Oman. Along the Arabian Gulf coast there are offshore islands, coral reefs and sabkha,
or salt-marshes. Stretches of gravel, plain and barren desert characterize the in land
region. To the east, a range of mountains lies close to the Gulf of Oman and forms a
backbone through the Mussandam Peninsula. The western interior of the country, most
of it in Abu Dhabi, consists mainly of desert interspersed with oasis.

Climate:

The UAE has a sub-tropical, arid climate. Rainfall is infrequent and irregular. Falling
mainly in winter, it amounts to some 13 centimeters a year. Temperatures range from a
low of about 10 degrees celsius to a high of 48 degrees celsius. The mean daily maxi-
mum is 24 degrees in January rising to 41 degrees in July.

Population:

Inhabitants: 4.7 million (2005 estimate).


Includes 3 million non-nationals (65% of total population).
Population growth rate: 1.6
Total area: 82,880 km2

Major Cities Population:

Dubai 1.35 million Abu Dhabi 650,000 Sharjah 610,000


Fujairah 410,000 Ajman 260,000 Ras Al-Khaimah 120,000

Language:

The official language is Arabic. English is widely understood and ranks alongside Ara-
bic as the language of commerce.

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Education:

There is a comprehensive network of government schools throughout the emirate, pro-


viding free primary and secondary education to UAE nationals. The Ministry of Edu-
cation runs 34 boysʼ schools, 32 girlsʼ schools and 10 kindergartens. These work to an
Arabic curriculum. There are also 27 private institutes and 22 evening schools for adults.

For expatriate families, there are 79 private foreign schools offering education of a high
standard to the curriculum requirements of the UK, USA and a number of others includ-
ing Italy, Japan, Iran, India and Pakistan. In neighboring emirates there are French and
German schools. English is usually the main language of instruction, but foreign schools
use other languages as necessary.

The BITS Pilani Dubai campus, American university in Dubai, University of Wollon-
gong in Dubai are few international universities offering wide range of courses in Dubai.
University of Dubai, Al Ghurair University are the few regional universities.

UAE Geographical Map

12 Employee Hand Book


Dubai Geographical Map

Employee Hand Book 13


HR Practices

a) Working Hours:

The maximum working hours of employees shall be 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week.
During the month of Ramadan, the normal hours of working hours shall be reduced by
2 hours. The period spent by an employee in traveling between his/her home & place of
work shall not be included in his/her hours of work. The timing of the Corporate Offices
namely HRM, HRD & Corporate accounts etc are from 8.30 am to 1.00PM and 2.00PM
to 6.00PM, Sunday to Thursday and from 2.30 pm to 7.00 pm on Saturday. Divisions
may adopt different timings to suit their operational requirements.

b) Types of leave

b.1) Annual Leave:

Grade Eligibility Numbers of days allowed

Completed 12 months 30 days of paid leave for every completed


M-II and above
of continuous service 12 months of service

Completed 18 months 45 days of paid leave for every completed


SE-I and below
of continuous service 18 months of service

Note: For the purpose of computation of leave, the period of continuous service shall
commence from the date of joining and rejoining. Any period of leave without pay shall
not be computed as the continuous service.

An employee who wishes to avail the annual leave shall obtain his superiors approval at
least one month prior to the commencement of leave.

An employee who has proceeded on annual leave to his / her country and overstays
beyond the sanctioned leave without prior approval shall be deemed to have abandoned
the service.

b.2) Sick Leave

First 15 Days – Full pay


Next 30 Days – Half pay
Subsequent Days – Loss of pay for SL / PA

The above leave will be applicable only when the employee completes 1 year after his
confirmation in service with the company.

14 Employee Hand Book


b.3) Haj Leave

Every Muslim employee will be entitled for 30 days for HAJ Leave only once in the
course of his/ her period of service. The Employee is eligible for only 10 days paid
leave. How ever the HRA (House Rent Allowance) will be paid for a maximum period
of thirty days.

b.4) Maternity Leave

A female employee shall be entitled to maternity leave with full pay for a period of 45
days provided she has completed one year of continuous service. If she has not complet-
ed one year of continuous service, she shall be entitled to maternity leave with half pay.

On the expiry of maternity leave, she may be absent from work without pay for a maxi-
mum period of 100 consecutive or non-consecutive days if such absence is due to an
illness preventing her from resuming her work. A medical certificate issued by the duly
authorized medical institution or authenticated by the competent health authority con-
firming that the illness is a result of pregnancy or delivery shall document such illness.
(as per the labor law)

b.5 ) Medical Leave Following an Accident

An employee who sustains personal injury by accident arising out of and in the course
of employment is entitled for leave with full pay until he recovers or for a period of 6
months whichever is earlier.

If the period of treatment lasts for more than six months, the leave salary will be reduced
by half for a further period of 6 months or until he recovers fully or his disability is con-
firmed or he dies whichever occurs first (as per the labor law)

Note: The employee shall furnish a medical certificate from the Government Hospital/
approved Private Doctor or the companyʼs Doctor to avail sick leave, accident leave and
maternity leave.

No leave however shall be claimed as a matter of right by any employee and shall be
subject to UAE Labor Laws and the Company rules as amended from time to time.

b.6) Emergency Leave

Emergency leave not exceeding 21 days without pay per annum will be allowed to meet
any emergency at home subject to the production of satisfactory documentary evidence.
During this period, the employee is entitled to package/ HRA. But, beyond 21 days he /
she are not eligible for any package/ HRA.

The above will be allowed only after one-year completion of service. If the emergency is
before completion of one year of service then it will be total loss of pay.

Employee Hand Book 15


b.7) Casual Leave

Every employee shall be eligible for 2 days of casual leave in a calendar year. If it is not
availed within the calendar year the same will be lapsed.

Note: Types of leave varies from division to division which suits their operational re-
quirements

c) Induction:

All new employeesʼ shall attend the induction program conducted by HRD Division.
The program will familiarize the new employees with the company and the various
benefits the employees are entitled to. The ETA-STAR Corporate Video Film will be
screened & the program will also familiarize the employees about the company, its prac-
tices , its procedures, etc.

d) Probation Period:

All the employees should undergo 6 months probation from the date of joining. (Except
for all TRAINEEʼS). The employeesʼ performance will be continuously assessed dur-
ing and at the end of six months and the Personnel Department or HRD Division will
conduct an interview during which feedback will be given to the employees about their
performance.

The employeesʼ training needs will be identified at the time of the probation confirma-
tion. On successful completion of probation, the employeeʼs services will be confirmed
and the Personnel department will issue a letter to this effect. If the performance of the
employee is not found satisfactory, the probation period will not be extended and the
services may be terminated.

e) Performance Appraisal:

Performance appraisal plays a very important role in the career growth of the employ-
ees. The appraisal is used to identify training needs, succession planning, increment,
identification of potential for higher responsibilities etc. The performance appraisal is
done annually for the period of January to December.

Employeesʼ performance will be rated based on their performance under the factors
Performance on the Job / Job Knowledge / Skills / Personality aspects. The assessor will
discuss the performance ratings with the employees and the training needs identified at
the time of doing the performance appraisal.

16 Employee Hand Book


f) Promotion:

Promotion will be based on performance, availability of vacancy arising out of superan-


nuating or resignation of employee in higher grade or expansion in the size of operations
of the Divisions, or requiring additional positions. Employees who will be considered
for promotion should have satisfactory performance appraisal reports and should com-
plete the minimum qualifying service period to be eligible for the next grade.

The promotion recommendation is made by the immediate superior and approved by


the Divisional Head. Employees recommended for promotion shall attend an interview
before a panel of members, in which the employeesʼ performance will be reviewed. All
promotions are effected twice in a year in the month of April and October.

GRADING STRUCTURE

Superan-
Qualifying Period for
Cadre nuation Grade Designations
Promotion
age
TOP MANAGEMENT 58 UC ED 3 YEARS IN GM-UC

GENERAL
58 GM-UC SGM 3 YEARS IN GM-I
MANAGERIAL

58 GM-1 GM 3 YEARS IN GM-II

58 GM-II DY. GM 3 YEARS IN SM-I

SR. MANAGERIAL 55 SM-I AGM 2 YEARS IN SM-II

55 SM-II SR. MANAGER 3 YEARS IN M-I

MANAGERIAL 55 M-I MANAGER 2 YEARS IN M-II

55 M-II MANAGER 3 YEARS IN SE-1

Sr. Proj. Engr/Sr. Installation Engr./Sr.


SR. EXECUTIVE 50 SE-I Exe.(Mktg/comml,/Fin./Accts./Pers./ 2 YEARS IN SE-II
Maint.) Design Engr/Exe. Secretary

Sr. Proj. Engr/Sr. Installation Engr./Sr. 2 YEARS IN E-1 OR


50 SE-II Exe.(Mktg/comml,/Fin./Accts./Pers./ 2YEARS IN T-I / A-I/
Maint.) Design Engr/Exe. Secretary S-I

Employee Hand Book 17


Superan-
Qualifying Period for
Cadre nuation Grade Designations
Promotion
age
Proj. Engr/Installation Engr./Exec.
EXECUTIVE 48 E-I (Mkt./Comml./Fin./Accts./Pers./ 2 YEARS IN E-II
Maint.)1234
Proj. Engr/Installation Engr./Exec.
48 E-II (Mkt./Comml./Fin./Accts./Pers./ ENTRY POINT
Maint.)

Site Engr./Sr. Supervisor/Sr. Foreman/


TECHNICAL 48 T-I 2 YEARS IN T-II
Sr. Technician/Sr. Draughtsman

Site Engr./Sr. Supervisor/Sr. Foreman/


48 T-II 2 YEARS IN T-III
Sr. Technician/Sr. Draughtsman

Supervisor / Foreman / Technician /


48 T-III 2 YEARS IN T-IV
/Druaghtsman

Supervisor / Foreman / Technician /


48 T-IV 1 YEAR IN T-V
/Druaghtsman

Supervisor / Foreman / Technician /


48 T-V 1 YEAR IN T-VI
/Druaghtsman

Supervisor / Foreman / Technician


48 T-VI ENTRY POINT
/Druaghtsman

Sr. Secretary / Sr. Accts. Asst / Sr.


ADMINISTRATIVE/
48 A-I/S-I Comml. Asst. / Sr. Sales Asst / Sr. 2 YEARS IN A-II/S-II
SALES
Store Keeper / Shop in charge

Sr. Secretary / Sr. Accts. Asst / Sr.


48 A-II/S-II Comml. Asst. / Sr. Sales Asst / Sr. 2 YEARS IN A-III / S-III
Store Keeper / Shop in charge

Secretary / Accts. Asst. /Comml. Asst.


A-III/S-
48 /Pers. Asst. / Sales Asst./ Sr. Store 2 YEARS IN A-IV / S-IV
III
Keeper /Shop-in-charge

Steno / office asst. / Accts. Asst. / Typ-


A-IV/S-
48 ist / D.E.O / Sales man / Store Keeper 1 YEAR IN A-V / S-V
IV
/ Trainees

Steno / office asst. / Accts. Asst. / Typ-


48 A-V/S-V ist / D.E.O / Sales man / Store Keeper 1 YEAR IN A-VI / S-VI
/ Trainees

Steno / office asst. / Accts. Asst. / Typ-


A-VI/S-
48 ist / D.E.O / Sales man / Store Keeper ENTRY POINT
VI
/ Trainees

18 Employee Hand Book


g) Increment:

The management may consider increments in salary or allowances once in two years
based on companyʼs financial performance and cost of living. Employeeʼs individual
performance & grade would be taken into account at the time of fixing the increments.

h) Salary Payment:

The last day of every month is the payday. The employeeʼs salary will be paid through a
bank transfer and the employees will be advised of their transaction through the employ-
ees pay slip. The following banks are approved for salary transfer and requests to trans-
fer of salary to other banks will not be entertained. Divisional Personnel Department
will assist the employee to open a bank account which will be possible only after the
stamping of the residence visa. Until such time the salary will be paid in cash.

The salary can be credited through the following banks only:


ABN AMRO Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates Bank, Mashreq Bank,
Standard Chartered Bank

BANKS USED FOR SALARY TRANSFER

i) To open a Bank Account:

The following documents are required to open a bank account.

u A copy of your Passport with your residence permit fully stamped.


u A No Objection letter from the company, which will be issued by the Human
Resources Management Division.

Note: The procedures (documents) required to open account may vary from bank &
bank.

Employee Hand Book 19


Legal Documents & Procedures

All the personnel departments in respective divisions have the access to know about the
expiry dates of Visa, Work permit & also the Passport. Itʼs the individual responsibil-
ity to inform the personnel department about the Visa, Work permit, Passport renewal
before 2 months & prepare for the medical well in advance.

a) Work Permit & Residence Permit - New Arrivals

A) Signed Agreement
B) Original Medical Fitness Certificate
C) 4 Photographs

Work Permit & Residence Permit – Renewal

A) Original Work Permit


B) Original Medical Fitness Certificate
C) 4 Photos
D) Degree & Mark Sheet copy, if the employee is Manager or Engineer category

b) Passport Renewal (10 years)

A) Application Form (EAPX – 1-96)


B) 4 Signatures
C) 4 Photographs

Passport Renewal (5 years)

A) Application form (EAPX -2-96)


B) 1 Photo
C) 4 Signatures

c) Family Visa:

As per UAE Laws of Immigration an application for family members visa can only, be
made by the concerned individual and therefore the company cannot sponsor family
visas. To be eligible for sponsoring family, employeesʼ should have Dhs 3000/- as basic
salary plus Dhs 1000/- as other allowances or Dhs 4,000/- as gross salary.

The following documents are required to process the family visa.

A) Visa application form (Duly filled by the applicant)


B) Marriage certificate duly attested by UAE Embassy in India.
C) Passport copy of person whoʼs holding the Visa.

20 Employee Hand Book


D) Employment agreement copy duly attested by Immigration by paying Dhs 100/-.
E) E gate card copy (Its obtained from Immigration dept or in Airport)
F) Individual presence is necessary for the first time application clearance.

Note: The application form can be filled by any typing institute or center.

HR department will provide original passport & agreement paper at the time of applica-
tion clearance.

d) Emigration Check Note Required (ECNR):

EMI: (Emmigiration – For New Comers those who are coming from USA as job seekers
requires EMI document Consulate General of India, Dubai. The fees is Dhs 120/-

Permanent ECNR:
For availing permanent ECNR the person has complete 36 months continuously.

For further enquiry send an email to: cgidubai@emirates.net.ae

e) Money Transfer:

Money transfer to India and other countries can be done through the various Money
Exchange Centers in UAE. The names of some of the leading Exchange Centers are
mentioned below.

Name Address Contact Timings


702, Masaoud Building, Saturday to Thursday
Al Ghurair Tel: +971 4 2222955
Al Maktoum Road, 09:00am to 01:00pm
Exchange Fax: +971 4 2270839
Deira, Dubai 05:00pm to 09:00pm
Saturday to Thursday
Fridays

Al Ansari Hamarain Center Tel : +971 4 2694422


09:00am to 10:00pm
Exchange Diera, Dubai Fax: +971 4 2691913
05:00pm to 10:00pm* *
Al Budoor Building, Saturday to Thursday
Al Rostamani Tel : +971 4 2223564
Al Maktoum Street, 09:00am to 01:00pm
Exchange Fax: +971 4 1179232
Deira, Dubai 04:30pm to 09:30pm
Saturday to Thursday
Fridays

UAE Naif Road, Tel : +971 4 2268616


08:00am to 09:30pm
Exchange Deira Dubai Fax: +971 4 2260276
08:30pm to 09:30pm* *
Emirates India Saturday to Thursday
Nasser Square, Tel : +971 4 2232261
International 08:30am to 01:00pm
Deira, Dubai Fax: +971 4 2221318
Exchange 04:30pm to 09:00pm

Employee Hand Book 21


Employee Resignation & Termination

The following is the Company policy on Employees joining competitors after resigna-
tion, termination or superannuating.

While seeking alternative employers, the employees shall ensure that they are not join-
ing the competitors or organizations whose interests clash with the business objectives
of ETA STAR Group. Employees who have acquired substantial confidential informa-
tion during their tenure with ETA STAR Group shall not divulge any confidential infor-
mation even after leaving the group.

The management has the right to publish the photograph of the concerned employee
with details of his name, nationality and passport number at the time of leaving the or-
ganization when it is necessary; or when it realizes that a particular employee is misus-
ing his previous or current position for his personal gain and against the interests of the
company. The Management reserves the right to pursue legal course of action for any
damages occurred by the employee.

The Employees who are all resigned or terminated by the divisions must attend an EXIT
Interview in HRD.

22 Employee Hand Book


Employee Benefits

a) Medical Facilities:

Staff Category

1. Prime Medical Centre, Deira-Dubai & in Sharjah is the authorized Clinic to


render medical services to all the staff category employees of ETA STAR group.
The location mapʼs including the contact details are enclosed (see page 54).

2. Mediprime Pharmacy is the authorized pharmacy, situated at the ground floor


of Prime Medical Center Building. Covered medicines will be free for you in the
pharmacy.

3. To avail the treatment at Prime Medical Center you need to produce an iden
tity card which should be the work permit of ETA STAR Group. There is no need
to pay consultation charges to Prime Medical Center directly for covered serv
ices. In the event of non-covered services like specialist consultations, medi
cal investigations and procedures the charges levied to you can be reimbursed
from the Division.

Non Staff category

1. Prime Medical Center, Al Quoz is the authorized clinic to render medical servic
es to all the employees (worker category) of ETA STAR group. In order to render
better service to the workers, Prime Medical Center has posted a General Physi
cian at ETA Al Quoz camp & Sonapur MBM camp. At ETA Al Quoz camp the
doctor is available from 7.30 am to 12 pm & at Sonapur MBM camp from 7.30
am to 11 am & again 5 pm to 7 pm.

2. Al Awal Pharmacy, Al Quoz (adjacent to Al Quoz PrimeCorp) is the authorized


pharmacy to purchase prescribed medicines.

Al Awal pharmacy – Phone no. 04 3387387,


Working Hours _ 8 am to 8pm

Al Quoz PrimeCorp – Phone no. 04 3389389

3. To avail the treatment you need to produce your identity card which should be
the work permit of ETA STAR group.

Notes: Prior appointment is necessary for consulting specialist doctors. For consulting
General Physician, employees may visit any time between 9.00A.M to 5.00P.M.

Employee Hand Book 23


In case the Doctor prescribes diagnostic test you need to incur the expenses and make
an application to your Divisional Head to consider for reimbursement. However dental
treatment / physiotherapy treatment will be reimbursed after verification of the nature of
such treatment.

In case of any emergencies or accidental injuries the patient should be taken to the near-
est emergency at Government Hospitals. The number of Emergency Medical Services
(Police/ Ambulance is 999)

It is recommended to carry your blood group details & information about any medicinal
allergies with your ID card.

In case you need continuous medical consultation for chronic illnesses you are advised
to take a health card from the Government Hospital, which costs Dhs. 300/- per annum
and need to be paid by you. The health card offers you medical treatment at rates subsi-
dized by the government.

The following steps will help you to obtain the health card:

1. You need to fill up the prescribed application form available at the hospital.

2. Attach along with your passport copy, 2 passport size photographs, tenancy con
tract, electricity and water bill (DEWA / SEWA) for the health card.

Free GP Consultation & Discounted Rates at PMC for spouse


and dependant children:

Prime Medical Center offers free GP consultation for resident family members of our
employees. Cost of specialist consultations and medications and investigations have to
be borne by the employees. The medical consultation and discount rates for resident
dependants of employees are provided after an ID card is made for the family members.
The ID card can be made in consultation with HRM Division.

Medical Treatment for Abu Dhabi based Employees

Each employee resident in Abu Dhabi shall approach their Divisional Personnel Depart-
ment to assist in getting the Health Insurance Card for themselves and their UAE resi-
dent dependants. (Eligible for spouse and 3 children below the age of 18), as per the
Abu Dhabi law. The health insurance card entitles the holder to avail medical facilities
in Clinics and Hospitals in a specified network of service providers. The list of the net-
work will be available with the Divisional Personnel Department.

24 Employee Hand Book


b Insurance Coverage:

If an employee while in service meets with any accident anywhere due to employment
or otherwise resulting in death or disablement will be entitled to the following benefits
from the in- house insurance fund created for this purpose.

In case of death, 24 months basic salary last drawn by the employee will be given as
benefit. The benefits shall not be more than 24 months basic salary.

If an employee become totally or partially disabled permanently due to the accident, he


shall be entitled to following benefits.

The benefits in case of death due to accident shall be considered as 100% of staff earn-
ing capacity. The compensation in respect of permanent disablement shall be such
percentage of loss of earning capacity as mentioned in the law 100% of earning capacity.

An injured employee or his legal heirs in case of death shall not be entitled for any death
benefit or disbursement benefit if it is established to be a deliberate attempt by the staff
to commit suicide or fraudulently to obtain benefit or under influence of drugs, narcot-
ics, alcoholic beverages or intentional violation of safety rules.

The Management may approve the reimbursement of treatment and medicines to certain
extent to such an employee from the insurance fund taking into account the nature of
injuries, duration of treatment and hospitalization, the total cost of treatment, the loss of
salary due to the inability to work etc.

In case of reimbursement of treatment costs due to accident that has occurred to an em-
ployee in the staff category, a committee constituted to organize the insurance fund shall
approve the claim,

If any Blood Money or damages awarded to the dependants of a deceased employee by


any court of law, the benefit payable under the

u Insurance fund shall be adjusted against payment under such award of the court.

u Provided any amount paid from the insurance fund if adjusted against the pay
ment of workman compensation cannot again be adjusted against any other li
ability.

u The dependents benefit payable in case of death shall be paid to the spouse if
alive. If there are more than one widow, the amount shall be equally distributed
among them. If the spouse is not alive, but parents and children of the deceased
area alive, then the Managing Director will determine the legal heirs and the
manner of distribution if there are counter claims to the benefit.

Employee Hand Book 25


c) Bonus:

The management may declare bonus in respect of each division separately after re-
viewing the financial results during the calendar year and taking into account the profits
achieved.

Points Mode of calculation

Bonus % The bonus amount to the staff may be in the range of 3% to 25% of the
range basic salary earned during the year.

Calculation Basic x 12 x bonus %

All employees have joined before 1st September of calendar year are
Eligibility eligible. M&E Division included fixed bonus in their consolidated sal-
ary and therefore will not receive it separately.

50% rate of the If an employee has joined during the calendar year in respect of
declared bonus which the bonus is declared and has not completed one year.

If the employee has completed one year on continuous services as on


75% rate of the
the last working day of the calendar year, but
declared bonus
has not completed 2 years

Note: Workers category and drivers are not entitled for any bonus.

An employee with a very poor performance record or committed gross misconduct may
be deprived of bonus in a particular year.

The bonus will be allotted to only staff that is in service at the time of disbursement of
Bonus. In case he/she resigns before the bonus is declared then they are not eligible for
bonus. If he or she has been terminated before the bonus is declared then the manage-
ment would take decision regarding the issue of bonus.

d) Bonus for Superannuated Employees

The company has a well-formulated Superannuation Policy. Employeesʼ reaching the


age of superannuation will be superannuated as per the policy. Employeesʼ attaining the
age of Superannuation in a particular year will be divided into two time slots i.e., period
ending June 30th and period ending December 31st. Such of those employeesʼ reaching
the age of superannuation between the months January and June will be Superannuated
on June 30th and such of those employees reaching the age of superannuation between
July and December will be superannuated on December 31st of the particular year. No
extensions will be given to any superannuated employees.

26 Employee Hand Book


The final settlement of dues, including gratuity etc., will be settled as on June 30th to
December 31st as the case may be. In special cases for the employees performing Tech-
nical job, who are in grade T-I to T-III, the superannuating age limit may be extended by
two years up to 50 years with the approval of Divisional Head and Executive Director-
HRM, subject to Medical fitness.

During 1998 company has implemented the Superannuation Policy and many employees
have been superannuated due to old age and they have worked for full year. Therefore
it has been declared to amend the bonus policy as follows to enable the superannuated
employees to get the bonus.

u All the superannuated employees who worked more than six months in the bonus
year are eligible for bonus.

u For those who are leaving immediately after the superannuation, bonus will be
paid along with the settlement; and will be calculated on the basis of last year
bonus percentage.

u Full bonus will be paid for those who worked for full year.

u Those who have served six months and less than one year will be paid in pro-rata
basis. (This is applicable only in the case of superannuated employees.)

u Superannuated employees whose services are extended will be paid bonus at the
time of bonus declaration along with other employees on the same percentage
and not as per last year percentage.

u No bonus will be given for the extension period of service. However if they
worked for the full bonus year it is at the discretion of the management to pay
the bonus. They cannot claim bonus as a matter of right.

Cadre Grade / S Stipulated Age

Top Management ED 58

General Management GM – UC to GM –II 58

Senior Managerial SM- I & SM – II 55

Managerial M – I & M –II 55

Senior Executive SE –I & SE – II 52

Executive E – I & E II 52

Technical T –I to T VI 52
A – I to A – VI
Administrative / Sales 50
S – I to S – VI

Employee Hand Book 27


e) Gratuity: Termination/Resignation:

Gratuity will be payable for the service rendered only after 1st July 1980. No gratuity
will be paid for any service rendered prior to this date. An employee will be entitled for
gratuity in respect of fractions of a year in proportion to the time actually worked pro-
vided he / she has completed one year of continuous service.

Termination:

An employee whose services are terminated by the company for any reasons whatsoever
other than due to gross misconduct will be entitled to the following gratuity:

Number of years Gratuity calculation


1 to 5 years service 21 days of basic salary x number of years
More than 5 years service 30 days of basic salary x number of years

Resignation:

An employee who has resigned on his own accord will be entitled to the following gra-
tuity provided he / she has completed one year of continuous service.

Number of years Gratuity calculation


1 to 3 years service 7 days of basic salary x number of years
3 to 5 years service 14 days of basic salary x number of years
21 days of basic salary for every completed year of
continuous service for the first five years
More than 5 years service
30 days of basic salary for every completed year of continuous
service for each additional year of service beyond five years.

Note: The gratuity shall be calculated on the basis of last drawn basic salary of employ-
ee. Any dues from the employee to the company will be recovered from the gratuity.

The days of absence from work without pay shall not be included in calculating the
period of service for the purpose of computation of gratuity.

For terminated staff or workmen, ticket fare will be paid irrespective of any reason,
which they are terminated.

Employees who resign with less than 2 years of service may be deprived of exit ticket.

28 Employee Hand Book


f) Housing Facilities (Dubai / Sharjah / Abu Dhabi):

All the new employees will be provided with sharing accommodation free of cost in
guesthouse for the initial 15 days on their arrival in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. For any
extended period of stay beyond 15 days you will be charged @ Dhs.75/- per day. During
the stay at the guest house you shall look for accommodation meeting your budgets. The
company will pay the HRA/Package advance for six months.

Source of Information:

The new employees are advised to refer the classifieds & properties pages of the Khaleej
Times and the Gulf News the leading English dailies, to find suitable accommodation. In
few public places, such as bus stops and supermarkets have notices pasted on the avail-
ability of bachelor and family accommodation.

Name Telephone Fax


Arenco Real Estate 04 355 5552 04 337 5335
Better Homes 04 344 7714 04 341 3361
Cluttons 04 334 8585 04 334 8362
Dubai Waterfront Properties 04 321 3344 04 343 3022
Engel & Volkers 04 338 8104 04 338 8105
Fortune Homes 04 262 6888 04 262 6131
Go Wealthy 04 422 4777 04 361 8200
Link Up Real Estate 04 407 0777 04 339 1414
Rocky Real Estate 04 353 6999 04 353 1221
Vakson Real Estate 04 331 3155 04 332 4622
Worldwide Real Estate 04 343 6222 04 343 6236

Procedures for Housing Contract:

Employees taking flats on rent are required to sign the tenancy contract with the owner.
The agreement shall be in triplicate and need to be attested by the Municipality on
payment of 5 % of rent as charges and the attested tenancy agreement is mandatory for
Water & Electricity connection. For any dispute with the landlord, the attested tenancy
agreement is the only binding contract.

Accommodation facilities in U.A.E. are available in three categories

1. Bachelor accommodation
2. Sharing accommodation
3. Flats for rent

It is advisable to take the guidance from Personnel Department, about the location &
rents in various Emirates.

Employee Hand Book 29


g) Electricity/Telephone/Driving License:

Electricity:

Employees who are taking flats on rent need to pay an amount of AED 1000/- as refund-
able deposit towards Water & Electricity connection to the respective Government Water
& Electricity Authorities in Dubai / Abu Dhabi / Sharjah. You would be requiring ten-
ancy agreement and passport copy to obtain the connection. You can collect the deposit
at the time of vacating the flat. Gas Pipeline connection supply is available in Sharjah

Telephone Connection:

ETISALAT and DU are the two telephone services provider in UAE. You shall approach
the nearest ETISALAT / DU office to apply for Telephone/Mobil/Internet and other
facilities. You shall take a passport copy with residence visa page, original ID such as
passport or work permit and a copy of tenancy agreement.(in case of applying for resi-
dential phone) and also same for getting a SIM Card. The SIM card validity is for one
year.

DU Sim Card:

Du Mobile Sim Card will be provided on a business offer to all the employees. For
further details required in this regard, pls. contact Mr. Gopinath / Mr. Balaji at ITS Divi-
sion, 1st Floor, Gulf Air Building. Ph: 04-2734999.

Driving License

If you hold a valid license & if you are a national from U.K., USA, Australia, New
Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore or one of the G.C.C countries, you shall submit
the original license to Traffic Police Department. They will issue a valid UAE driving
license after a suitable letter is issued from HRM Division. Otherwise, you shall have to
succeed in the driving test before a license is issued. To obtain a driving license the fol-
lowing documents are required.

u Employees shall make an application to the Sr. Manager Administration at HRM


through their Divisional/ Departmental Head for sponsorship letter. Only applica
tion approved by the Divisional Head will be considered.

u Employees should have completed 6 months service, unless the employee is in


a job that requires extensive travel such as sales, purchase, credit collection, busi
ness development etc. In such case the employees request for driving license may
be considered before completing six months period. Some of the Divisions may
ask for longer service before giving permission to apply for a driving license.

30 Employee Hand Book


Once you open a file in the Traffic Department, they will issue a learner license. You
shall take the driving classes with authorized driving schools and shall not drive unac-
companied with a learner license. After taking the required number of classes you shall
appear for a driving test at the Traffic Department. Once you are successful in all the
tests including road test you need to present your original passport to the Traffic Depart-
ment to obtain the driving license.

All employees can apply for driving license through any of the below mentioned
driving schools.

1. Emirates Driving Institute


2. Belhasa Driving School
3. Galadari Driving School

After the employees get the residence permit stamped in the passport they may approach
the above driving schools for the driving license. For more information on the fees and
other registration formalities, the employees may contact the above driving schools.

h) Travel, Transport & Car Scheme:

Official Travel & Other Expenses Reimbursement

The following guidelines govern the staff traveling outside UAE on Companyʼs business
and other matters such as Gifts, Business Entertainment etc.

u Executive Directors Sr. General Managers, General Managers in grade GM I &


II are required to obtain MDʼs approval before any business travels.

u Any Business Travel should not be more than 7 days duration.

u If the stay is going to be longer MDʼs prior approval should be obtained.

u In order to enhance the availability of Sr. executives in Dubai / Abu Dhabi, there
should be a minimum gap of one month between two business travels. However,
this is not required in any case of short duration travels of one-two days.

All Divisional Head are requested to follow the above guidelines and also advise their
senior staff in the relevant grades accordingly. Secretaries to the divisional heads may
please be entrusted with the responsibility of sending the tour application for MDʼs ap-
proval prior to the departure of Executives.

Employee Hand Book 31


Accommodation

Grade Hotel
SM-2 & above Four / Five Star Hotels
M-1, M-2, SE-1 & SE-2 Two / Three Star Hotels
E-1 & below Smaller Hotels

Note: Management personnel traveling should take into account the purpose of their
visit cost and need considerations.

Wherever any branch office of ETA STAR GROUP maintains guesthouse, visiting ex-
ecutives shall use the facility.

Hotel room tariff will be reimbursed on actual basis. Where the executives use company
guesthouse, no lodging expenses will be payable.

When accommodation is provided, expenses will be debited to the visiting executives


divisions.

Boarding:

Actual expenses towards boarding, laundry and other miscellaneous expenses will be
reimbursed not exceeding the following maximum limits. The claims should be made
with a statement of expenses together with vouchers wherever possible.

During first During the next


Place of Visit
10 days 20 days in the
All cities in Japan, USA,
Australia, Taiwan, Korea US $ 35/- per day US $ 20/- per day
and Europe
All cities in Gulf & Middle
East such as Saudi Arabia, US $ 35/- per day US $ 20/- per day
Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman etc.

Hong Kong US $ 30/- per day US $ 18/- per day

Singapore, Malaysia,
US $ 25/- per day US $ 15/- per day
Bangkok, Manila & Jakarta

All cities in India


US $ 17/- per day US $ 10/- per day
and Sri Lanka

32 Employee Hand Book


Reimbursement is calculated as follow:

Grade SM-II : Eligible for the above limits (full amount)


Grades SE-1, SE-II, M-1 & M-II : 80% of above limit
Grade E-1 and below : 60% of above limit

These shall be the maximum limits stipulated towards boarding & other expenses. Visit
to any city exceeding 30 days of stay shall be considered to be temporary deputation and
therefore not entitled for any reimbursement. However, any deputation allowance pay-
able to the regular staff at that particular city shall be payable to the visiting employee
during the period of his stay.

Outstation Allowance:

The staff members who are traveling to other cities within UAE for business purposes
are entitled to the outstation allowance as follows

Amount Period of time

Dhs.10/- per day If the trip involves half-a-day

If the trip involves one day or more provided


Dhs.15/- per day the payment of outstation allowance is limited
to three days at a time

Note: No allowance will be paid if the trip is between the cities of Dubai, Sharjah, Aj-
man and the radius not exceeding 50Kms.

The Divisional Head shall authorize payment of outstation allowance. Any staff mem-
ber or driver going to the airport for official purpose between 0.00Hrs and 5.00A.M on
working days & if on a holiday will be entitled for Dhs.15/- per trip. However the driv-
ers who receive this payment will not be entitled for any overtime for this period.

Cash:

Any employee on official tour may be permitted to carry cash to a maximum amount
equivalent to US $ 500/- only. If he requires more amount, he should carry the remain-
ing amount in traveler cheques only.

In case of theft of the US $ 500/- or less during the official tour, claims may be submit-
ted only for the particular amount. Any claim in excess of US $ 500/- will not be enter-
tained. Divisional Heads may enquire and reimburse appropriate amount within US $
500/- limit, if they are satisfied to the genuineness of the claim.

Employee Hand Book 33


Travel facilities – In house Services:

Employees can avail ticketing facility/ tour packages through our group travel agency
ANTA. The offices are located at Travel Market (Muraqabat road), ANTA (Naif Road) in
Dubai and ANTA Ajman. ANTA has a travel desk at Ascon House. Employees proceed-
ing on leave can book their air tickets through travel desk (Contact at 04-7073700).

i) Car Policy- Company Maintained Car:

The Management may decide to provide company maintained car for some senior execu-
tives of the company based on their grade and level of responsibilities. Usually, people
in SM-II and above will be considered for company maintained car, the value of the car
to be purchased will be based on their grade. The company will pay the vehicle main-
tenance and fuel. The divisions may also consider registration, insurance for providing
company maintained car for some executives or managers based on work requirements.
The Divisional Head approval is essential.

1. Executive Directors and Senior Executives who are in grades Sr. ED, ED, GM1,
GM2, SM1 and SM2 will be provided with a company maintained car. Purchase
and make of the car should be approved by the Divisional Head and Managing
Director. Car for grade M1 and M2 will be either provided by the company or
will be under the OYC scheme subject to the discretion of the Divisional Head.

2. The car should be used for a minimum period of five years irrespective of any
change in grade. The car will be the property of the user on completion of 5
years for the grade up to GM-2. Executives below GM-2 grade can purchase the
Car by paying the residual value of the car. Higher value of car is permitted but
the difference is to be borne by the user.

3. An attractive self-financing option is also available to executives who are sanc


tioned company maintained cars.

Own Your Car (O.Y.C.) Scheme

The Divisional Head may consider a vehicle for some executives or managers to dis-
charge the official duties. In such case, the Divisional Head may approve a vehicle to
the respective employee based on their grade, eligibility. The employee shall purchase
on his own a vehicle of his choice by securing auto loan. The company will provide the
necessary salary certificate to obtain the auto loan from the bank.

The Division will pay the interest amount to the individual employee. An employee who
avails a car under OYC scheme shall submit a monthly reimbursement claim report. He
/She will be eligible for fixed maintenance allowance and variable maintenance allow-
ance as detailed below. The vehicle registration, maintenance, insurance and fuel will be
the employee responsibility.

34 Employee Hand Book


Employee shall deduct the kilometers for his personal use from the total mileage record-
ed during the month. His entitlement for variable maintenance allowance will depend
on the total number of kilometers.

1. Employees in other executive cadres who are in need of a car for discharging
Official duties only shall be given allowances under the OYC scheme subject to
the approval of the Division Head. These allowances include cost of car, com
prehensive insurance and registration / renewal expenses as well as the interest
portion charged by the banks for the auto loan.

2. Under the OYC scheme a new car or car not more than 2 years old shall be
Purchased and company will issue a salary certificate to enable the employee to
obtain bank-finance for the purchase.

3. Allowance other than fuel allowance will be paid for the eligible leave period
during vacation. No allowance will be paid during loss of pay period.

4. Executives can prefer a new car in the event of a grade change after using the
existing car for a minimum period of 3 years.

OYC ALLOWANCE – LIST

Permitted All Inclusive of Fuel Total


value of Car Fixed Allow- Allowance Allowance
Grade
ance
(AED) (AED) (AED) (AED)
M1 / M2 related
65000 1300 330 1630
grades
SE1 / SE2 re-
50000 1050 330 1380
lated grades
E1 / E2 related
40000 900 330 1230
grades

Notes: In the event of executive doing extra mileage for his official duties the maximum
Limit of fuel allowance can be raised from case to case basis at the discretion of the
Divisional Head.

It is suggested that EPPCO/ EMARAT fuel card can be given to these executives
with the maximum limit specified and restricted at Dhs.330/- This will enable the Divi-
sion to keep the track on the mileage being run on a monthly basis as this data is pro-
vided with the monthly statement.

If fuel card is provided as suggested above, fuel allowance will not be payable.

Employee Hand Book 35


A few divisions instead of reimbursing as per OYC scheme as detailed above may pay
lump sum amount based on their grades, Own a Car Scheme allowances might differ
from one division to another division. The employees are requested to contact the re-
spective personnel divisions to know more about Own a Car Scheme.

Dial a Car Service:

HRM Division provides Dial a Car facility for all official purposes to travel. There is a
desk at STAR house for booking the vehicle in advance. The contact number is
04 - 7073456 / 7073555. This service is intended only for official travel only and the
employees shall not misuse the facility for personal reasons.

Company Transport

Employees who are posted in sites, the company will provide transport facility for trav-
elling to the site and back home. The employees have to assemble at a common point
were the company transport will pickup the employees.

j) Loans :

Emergency Education, Housing &


Property Loan (EHP)
Self, dependants, sisters and broth-
Purchase a house
Purpose

ers marriage, Self, dependant, family


Land for the construction of house
members medical treatment
Higher Education of Children and for similar
The Higher Education of children
reasons
Eligibility

Staff who have completed 2 years of Staff who have completed 4 years of service
servicehaving no other outstanding drawing a monthly salary of Dhs.1500/-
loan or more without any other outstanding loan
amount of loan
Maximum

6 months of employee salary or 60% of


3 months salary or Dhs.8000/- monthly salary multiplied by the number
whichever is lower of yearʼs service or a maximum amount not
exceeding Dhs.40.000/-

A fixed rate of 9% interest will


be charged on the reduced balance amount.
Interest

The interest shall be payable from the first


The loan is interest free month of sanctioning the loan. The manage-
ment may charge the employee for any default
made in the payment of interest this rate of
interest may change from time to time

36 Employee Hand Book


Emergency Education, Housing &
Property Loan (EHP)

Application for the loan should be made in a


Application

Application for loan should be made in prescribed form available with HRM Depart-
a prescribed form available with HRM ment along with the documentary
Department along with the documen- evidence, and estimated amount obtained from
tary evidence the qualified Engineer / architect and plan
approval from the competent authority

The loan application should be submit-


ted to the HRM Department through
the Division Head. The Chairman of
the committee will approve the loan
on the recommendation of the commit- The Loan Application should be submitted to
tee. If the documentary evidence is not the Human Resources Management Depart-
Approval

available immediately, a declaration ment through the Divisional Head. The Joint
can be given to that effect and should Managing Director will approve the loan on
be submitted with the documentary the recommendation of the committee consti-
evidence within the stipulated period. tuted for this purpose
Failure will result in recovery of the
loan amount in lump sum and in future
no emergency loan will be sanctioned
to the concerned employee

Staff availing loan shall provide guar-


antee either:from an employee who There is no guarantor for the repayment of
has completed one year of service and loan except the self promissory note and un-
Surety

drawing a monthly salary of more that dertaking to repay from his dues and personal
Dhs.1800/- or, Alternatively 2 employ- funds along with relevant documents
ees who have completed one year of relating to either Education, Housing and
service and jointly drawing a salary of Property should be produced
Dhs.2000/-

The loan amount will be recovered in


The loan amount will be
15 equal monthly installments com-
Recovery

recovered in 24 equal monthly installments


mencing from the
commencing from the seventh month salary
following month salary in which the
following the month in which
loan
the loan amount is paid
amount is paid
Fresh loan

An employee who has availed this An employee who has availed this loan will be
loan will be eligible for the same only eligible for the same only after four years
after three years from the date of avail- from the date of fully settling his previous
ing his previous loan loan

Employee Hand Book 37


k) Welfare and Distress Fund

Welfare Fund

Purpose: A welfare fund is constituted to pay certain benefits to the dependent of an em


ployee who dies during the period of his employment with the company.

Contribution: Each employee shall contribute Dhs.50/- per annum towards the welfare
fund.

Eligibility: If an employee dies during the period of his employment with the company
including the authorized leave period, his legal heirs will be entitled for Dhs.50,000/-
from the Welfare fund. No benefit will be paid if the employee intentionally committed
suicides.

Approval:

u A committee constituted to administer the Welfare Fund headed by


the Executive Director - HR shall approve the claim. The Divisional Personnel
Department shall submit the claim in prescribed form together with the death
certificate and legal heir certificate to the Executive Director –HR at HRM Divi
sion.

u The payment from the welfare fund will be made to the legal heir based on the
legal heir certificate issued by the concerned authorities.

u If the widow / widower is alive, the entire amount shall be paid to him / her or if
anyone of the male family members is disabled then the entire amount shall be
paid to him. If there is more than one widow the amount shall be equally divided.

u If the widow / widower is not alive but the children or parents of the deceased
are available, then the Managing Director will determine the legal heir entitled
for the benefit from Welfare fund if both the parties demand for the benefit from
Welfare fund.

38 Employee Hand Book


Distress Fund

Purpose: This welfare scheme is only available for providing assistance to employees
(both staff and workmen) during extreme financial distress after the expenditure is made
and should not be used for meeting a Medical Emergency. Financial assistance will
be provided for company employees and their dependents in case of distress for major
illness and surgery like, Heart problems, kidney dysfunction etc., Chronic illness that
require lifelong treatment are not covered under this scheme.

Expenses related to medical will only be considered; transport expenses and accommo-
dation expenses outside of hospital etc. will not be considered.

Medical bills in original and reports like discharge summary etc. are to be submitted
along with the format designed for the same. All applications must be routed through the
Divisional Personnel Department and forwarded to HRM Division.

Financial Aid is provided in proven cases of financial loss due to natural calamities like
fire, flood or riots.

Contribution to the Fund

u All staff (excluding workmen) on rolls contributes towards this fund with half a
dayʼs salary. The contribution is usually recovered in the salary month of Sept /
Oct of the year.

u The management also contributes an amount equivalent to the total staff contri
bution and the fund is maintained in a separate account at Corporate Accounts.

Eligibility:Staff and workmen will both be eligible for financial assistance from this
fund and there will be no qualifying service required to be completed.

Approval:

u Financial aid is provided after the expenses are incurred and bills are submited.
A committee with Executive Director-HR as Chairman meets at periodic inter
vals to decide on applications, which are received for such financial assist ance.
The final approval will be by Executive Director - HR or in his absence GM-HR
.
u The committee will meet bimonthly (monthly if necessary) to dispose off re
quests for financial assistance under the scheme. The decision of the committee
will be final and binding and the employees will not have any legal recourse in
case of any dispute.

Employee Hand Book 39


Financial Assistance

u For workmen 75% of the expenses incurred up to maximum of Dhs.16,000/- or


equivalent.

u For staff 50% of the expenses incurred up to maximum of Dhs.16,000/- or


equivalent.

u Claims made for dependents over the age of 60 years, only 60% of the total enti
tled will be reimbursed.

Note: The committee has the right to change the above percentages based on the experi-
ence gained during the enforcement of the scheme.

Assistance under this scheme is not a right but only a benefit. The decision of the com-
mittee will be final and binding.

All claims with relevant papers will be submitted to Convener Mr. Taimur Khan of
HRM after the approval of enforcement of the scheme.

l) Training/Education/ Library:

Training

HRD Division offers training facilities to all the employees. Regular Training Programs
are conducted in various areas of Management (Human Resources, Marketing, Finance,
Information technology areas (SAP)), soft skills training programmes like (Effective
communication, Team building, Time management), Technical training programmes like
Project Management, Duct design, Heat load calculations, Language training like (Spo-
ken Arabic, spoken English) and also basic Computer training programmes.

New training programs to build Soft skill competencies

Title of the Training Pro-


Sl. No Soft skill Competency
gram
01 Assertive Behavior Assertiveness Skill
02 Winning Attitude Attitude – Helping
Capacity of working in Teams
03 Successful Team Building
Ability to manage team
04 Effective Decision making Decision making skills
05 Problem solving Problem solving skills

40 Employee Hand Book


Title of the Training Pro-
Sl. No Soft skill Competency
gram
06 Positive Counseling Counseling skills
07 Mentoring Mentoring skills
Time management skills
08 Effective time management
Maintaining discipline
09 Interpersonal relations Interpersonal relationship skills
10 Presentation skills Presentation skills
Ability to inspire people
11 Leadership skills
Ability to resolve people issues
12 Persuasion skill Ability to persuade
13 Customer Service Customer service skills
14 Selling Techniques Closing the deal
15 Delegation skills Delegation skill
16 Quality Tools Ability to use quality tools
17 Business Correspondence Business Writing skills
18 Negotiation skills Negotiation skills
19 Cross culture management Cross culture skills
20 Nurturing creativity Ability to use creativity tools
21 Stress Management Ability to manage stress
22 Conflict Resolution Ability to solve the conflicts
23 Emotional Intelligence Ability to read, understand and emphasizse feelings
Ability to socialize
24 Business Etiquettes
Business Etiquettes skills
25 Public Speaking Oratory skills
26 Listening skills Ability to listen emphatically

Their respective immediate superiors identify employees to undergo training. These


employees are called for to attend the training programs in HRD Division at regular
intervals, apart from which the employee can register their names with HRD Divi-
sion with prior consent to attend the spoken English & spoken Arabic Programs. These
programs are offered to the employees free of cost. Also the employees can register with
HRD Division to attend MS Office Training. Employees may discuss with their con-
cerned superiors about their training requirements.

Employee Hand Book 41


Education

The company encourages employees to pursue Higher Education. Employees can pur-
sue their MBA offered by Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) through
ETA NET, Knowledge Village. ETA STAR employees will be reimbursed 15% of the
course fee by their respective divisions. Employees may contact the admissions office at
Knowledge Village for further details of the MBA Program. Employees may contact Mr.
Syed Mohamed, Asst. General Manager in HRM Division for any concession towards
their childrenʼs fee for any courses of BITS, Pilani, Dubai campus, Al Ghurair Univer-
sity & MAHE Dubai Campus.

STAR Education Management System (SEMS)

The Management has established STAR Education Management System (SEMS) with a
view to provide primary and secondary education. SEMS has two schools in the name
of STAR International School - British curriculum school at Al Twar area in Dubai and
CBSE curriculum school near National Paints Roundabout in Sharjah.

There are two more schools, one at Mirdiff and another at Umm Al Sheiff (Umm Al
Suqeim) Dubai.

One of the objectives of ETA STAR STAR Group Management to focus in the area of
education is to provide educational assistance to employeesʼ children. The Management
is pleased to reimburse 50 percent of tuition fee in respect of every child of our employ-
ees who is studying in any of the STAR International Schools.

The employee shall submit their school fee receipt to Mr. Syed Mohamed, Asst. General
Manager in HRM Division for reimbursement. Kindly note that employees who would
like to avail this benefit shall not seek or accept any discount or concession from the
school including the usual concessions provided to second or additional child of same
family. They shall pay the full tuition fee and produce the receipt.

Library Facilities

There is a library in the HRD Division that provides many facilities. The employees may
use the library during working hours from 08.00AM to 08.00PM from Sunday to Thurs-
day. On Saturday the library will be open from 2.30 pm to 7 pm.

42 Employee Hand Book


m) Grievance:

If any employee requires clarification on his employment terms or wishes to lodge a


complaint in respect of his working conditions, treatment, living conditions and employ-
ment matters, shall follow the following procedure.

u If the grievance is of minor nature to sort out the matter with the immediate su
pervisor verbally.

u The employee may submit a written grievance to his immediate superior who
shall take suitable action immediately

u Any grievances could be addressed through email to HYPERLINK “mailto:


hrsuggcomp@etaascon.com” hrsuggcomp@etaascon.com. It would be reviewed
by the concerned and the necessary action will be initiated and action taken
would be updated to the employee

u If the employee is not satisfied with the action taken by his immediate superior,
he may approach higher authority for a suitable action

u The immediate superior or Divisional Head as the case may be may ask the
employee to meet the Divisional Personnel Officer or the Executive Director-Hu
man Resources Management for matters pertaining to Personnel department.

u The decision of the Divisional Head is final in all matters pertaining to the griev
ances.

Note: In exceptionally serious nature of matters the employee may represent to the Man-
aging Director with prior appointment by contacting his secretary.

Employee Hand Book 43


Employee Disposition

a) Telephone Courtesy & Etiquette

All employees shall promptly attend to the incoming calls and politely greet every call
irrespective whether the call is internal or external. A standard telephone numbers of
respective divisionʼs contacts as outlined in this hand book. Every employee is strictly
expected to follow the basic telephone courtesy. The company conducts periodical mys-
tery calls to ascertain the observance of telephone courtesy of employees as a standard
operating procedure.

b) Dress Code

All employees are expected to be formally attired thought the week. The appearances of
employees create the image in the mind of our customers and general public. Divisional
heads, senior level executives, sales staff and other meeting customers are expected to
know the dining etiquette and cultural issues when meeting the guests. Senior Execu-
tives are expected to be role models for other staff and try to correct them as and when
the need arises.

c) Disciplinary rules

Minor Misconduct: Absence for a day or two without information and approval, stay-
ing beyond the sanctioned leave for 3 – 4 days or Habitual late coming or early going.

Minor scuffles with others.

Not wearing the provided uniform.


Discourteous in answering the telephone.

Sleeping while on duty or loitering without reason.

Smoking is prohibited both within the office premises and public places.

Disciplinary action

The concerned superior along with a representative from HRM Division may make ver-
bal enquiry. Once established the Management may either suspend him for a few days
without pay, giving a warning letter or deprive him of increment / promotion depending
on the seriousness of the misconduct and the employeeʼs general behavior.

44 Employee Hand Book


Major Misconduct: Misuse of power for personal gain or taking bribe or cheating the
company.

Misappropriation of company property including cash and equipments or damaging the


interests of the company by providing confidential information to the competitors.

Conflict of interest: starting own business or working elsewhere without prior approval
from the Management particularly when the interests of company are in clash with their
business.

Gross negligence of safety instructions resulting in serious accidents causing injury or


damage to the property.

Fighting or assaulting or any act, which is immoral as per the UAE laws.

Staying beyond the sanctioned leave for more than one month without any approval.

Consumption of alcohol or gambling inside the premises or in the Companyʼs accom-


modation.

Disciplinary action

Executive or Manager as Enquiry Officer who will conduct the enquiry, give reason-
able opportunity for the accused and document the evidence once the inquiry officer
establishes the misconduct. The Management may take disciplinary action including
stoppage of increment / demotion or promotion deprival or termination depending on
the severity of misconduct. In taking the necessary punitive action the UAE law will be
adhered to.

Note: If an employee is found to have cheated the company and taken the money, he
shall return all such money misappropriated and taken. The company may also file a
police complaint against such individual who will face criminal / civil cases and is liable
for such action as determined by UAE judiciary. The company will also terminate the
services of such individuals. In case an employee embezzled or cheated the company
and left the country without approval, the company may lodge the complaint with the
appropriate authorities that may initiate action in the respective country against such
individuals.

d) Employee Suggestions/ Complaints

The employeesʼ are requested to make use of the Suggestion or Complaints System
wherein staff can either email at hrsuggcomp@etaascon.com or phone in (Tel: 04-
7073130) with their suggestions/complaints. Anonymous suggestions or complaints will
not be entertained.

All suggestions and complaints will be reviewed and if necessary action as deemed fit
will be taken.

Employee Hand Book 45


Intranet facilities

Our company has intranet employee portal of the ETA STAR Group. Your destination
to connect, communicate and collaborate and to accelerate daily productivity at work.
All the employee accounts are pre – created in ETA STAR world and access uses the
Employee IS as the User ID and Employee ID is mandatory for access to ETA STAR
WORLD. The lists of diversified links are:

Happenings:

The happenings link will display sub menus like Announcements, Business news, Media
releases, Management desk, People stories, Events calendar. Click on any of the menus,
sub menus to know more about the topics.

SAP Vision 727:

The SAP Vision 72 7 link will display sub menus like About the Project, Project update,
Project Calendar. Click on any of the menus, sub menus to know more about the topics.

Self Services:

The Self-services sub menus will display sub menus like Employee search, Employee
forms (House Rent Allowance form, Passport request form, Leave Application), My
Profile. Employeeʼs can down load the HRA Forms, Leave Application forms and Pass-
port release forms from after signing in to your account. Then from the home page click
the link of Self services Icon ->Employee forms -> (HRA Form, Passport request form,
Leave Application form.)

46 Employee Hand Book


IT Support Desk:

IT Support desk will provide the links Tech News, Downloads, Do it yourself, Service
request, Assignments. Any service request like email creation, IT software and hardware
requirements can be done through service request.

Market Place:

Information about products.(Detailed information about the products)

Knowledge Bank:

ERP Glossary. (Definition about Enterprise Resource Planning technical & domain con-
cepts)

Note: The intranet site is


http://etastarworld.com
or
http://172.21.0.91
or
http://intranet.etaascon.com

The Employee id & password is prerequisite to enter in to this intranet facility.

Employee Hand Book 47


Important Contact Numbers

a) Public Utilities

Name Dubai Abu Dhabi Sharjah


Airport 2245555 5757500 5581111
Airport 2166666 5055555 5581000
Etisalat 2221555 6163677 5611220
Police 999 999 999
Water 991 992 5672611
Electricity 991 991 991
Ambulance 998 / 999 998 / 999 998 / 999
Fire Service 997 997 997
Hospital 2221211 6214666 5386444

b) Public Holidays

Every employee shall be entitled for National & Festival Holidays with full pay on the
following Occasions:

Occasion Number of Days


New Yearʼs Day (Hijra) One day
New Yearʼs Day (Christian) One day
Ramadan & Eid Al Fitr Two days
Eid Al Adah Three days
Birthday of Prophet One day
Nocturnal Journey & Ascension of the Prophet One day
His Highness Sheik Al Nahyan Accession day One day
National day One day

48 Employee Hand Book


ETA Group Companies
Contact Numbers

Division Location Contact Personnel Dept.


Ascon Ascon House 04-7073426 04-3409700
Ascon Marble Al Quoz 04-3470572 04-3409700
Marble & Granite Al Quoz 04-3470572 04-3409700
Ascon Roads Al Quoz 04-2736565 04-3409700
Ascon Leisure Al Quoz 04-3405251 04-3409700
Mechanical Al Quoz 04-3471022 04-3471022
Profiles Al Quoz 04-3470145 04-3470145
HRM Ascon House 04-7073131 04-7073131
ETA Catering Sonapur 04-2648169 04-2648169
HRD Diera 04-2660583 04-2660583
Corporate Accounts Ascon House 04-7073227 04-7073227
Internal Audit Ascon House 04-7073190 04-7073190
Ascon Real Estate Diera 04-7073665 04-7073665
Star Petro Energy Diera 04-2718988 04-2718988
SSP Diera 04-2971912 04-2971912
Western Auto Airpot Road 04-2977788 04-2724724
TSM Jebel Ali 04-8802333 04-8802333
T&S Ascon House 04-7073301 04-7073301
Cement Ascon House 04-7073382 04-7073382
Cold Stores Karama 04-2860382 04-2860382
SMD Diera 04-7073261 04-7073261
M&E-DXB Al Quoz 04-3387083 04-3387083
MHI Al Quoz 04-3385200 04-3387083
NMD Al Quoz 04-3471949 04-3387083
CED Al Quoz 004-3385200 04-3387083
FMD-DXB Al Quoz 04-3384971 04-3387083
Medium Projects Al Quoz 04-3385200 04-3387083
Emirates Duct Diera 04-3385200 04-3387083
Prime Tech Diera 04-2695692 04-3387083
M&E-ADH Abu Dhabi 02-6345454 02-6345454
Exim Star Auto Trade Diera 04-2663223 04-2663223

Employee Hand Book 49


ETA Group Companies
Contact Numbers

Division Location Contact Personnel Dept.


FMD-ADH Abu Dhabi 02-6667297 02-6667297
MHI-ADH Abu Dhabi 02-4456854 02-4456854
CPH-ADH Abu Dhabi 02-6664010 02-6664010
Excel Ascon House 04-7073501 04-7073501
Gulf District Cooling Ascon House 04-7073503 04-7073503
J&I Al Quoz 04-3400214 04-3400214
PCS Al Quoz 04-3474947 04-3474947
Star Elevators Al Quoz 04-3405454 04-3411983
ERS Deira 04-2233994 04-2233994
PPD-DXB Ascon House 04-7073607 04-3411983
PPD-ADH Abu Dhabi 02-6351305 04-3411983
PPD T&W Diera 04-2627999 04-3411983
ETA-ELEC Diera 04-2662848 04-2662848
EMCO-DXB Sharjah 04-2713130 04-3409700
EMCO-ADH Abu Dhabi 02-6340600 04-3409700
MELCO Diera 04-2729999 04 7061133
MBM Diera 04-2662450 04-2662450
ESS Diera 04-2662450 04-2662450
Zenath Papers Diera 04-2713006 04-2713006
Oil Derivatives Diera 04-2713006 04-2713006
Land Transpt., Diera 04-3477515 04-2713006
Costal Waste Diera 04-2672489 04-2713006
Cars Diera 04-2696900 04-2696900
Cars RAK Ras Al Khaimah 07-2288668 07-2288668
Cars Workshop Diera 04-2696900 04-2662535
Cars CRC Diera 04-2692694 04-2692694
Cars Trade Diera 04-2696900 04-2696900
Used Cars Diera 04-2696900 04-2696900
Cars Taxi Service Diera 04-2693344 04-2693344
Citi Taxi Service Sharjah 06-5333550 06-5333550
GIORDANO Sheikh Zayed Road 04-3476868 04-3476868

50 Employee Hand Book


ETA Group Companies
Contact Numbers

Division Location Contact Personnel Dept.


Pearl Insurance Diera 04-2698867 04-2698867
Anta Ajman 04-2688891 04-2688891
Star Fast Diera 04-7073161 04-7073161
Sky Sea Diera 04-2666571 04-2666571
Al Ghurair University Sheikh Zayed Road 04-2623377 04-2623377
ETA NET Knowledge Village 04-3911977 04-3911977
Star Properties Diera 04-3409700 04-2687085
INFOTECH Diera 04-2734999 04-2734999
Al Haseena Diera 04-2264656 04-7073148
PMC Diera 04-2720720 04-2720720

ETA STAR SCHOOLS


Contact Numbers
For more details and admissions please contact:

Contact
Name Place Tel. Fax Mobile
Person
STAR
International Sharjah 06-5341119 06-5345552 050-3067239 Ms. Ramya
School
STAR
Ms. Donna
International Al-Twar 04-2638999 04-2638998 050-3429702
Rayson
School
STAR
Ms. Micheal
International Mirdif 04-2884644 04-2884744 050-7180701
Mullan
School
STAR
Ms. Micheal
International Umm-Shefi 04-3483314 04-3483318 050-9119170
Henry
School

Employee Hand Book 51


Annual Events and Festivals in Dubai

January Hotel Intercontinental Dubai Golf Cup


Arab Health Exhibition (bi-annual)
Sea Trade Cruise Conference (bi-annual)

February WTA Womenʼs Tennis Tournament


Dubai – ATP Tennis Tournament
Dubai Desert Classic – PGA Golf Tournament
Horse Race and Camel Race Meets

March Middle East Oil Week – Oil and Gas Conference


Dubai Fishing Challenge
Dubai World Cup – International Horse Race Meet.
Dubai Shopping Festival - A popular shopping event with
bargains, entertainment shows, promotions and fantastic prices
Airfares are reduced and visa regulations are often relaxed for tourists.

April International Jewellery Exhibition


Agriflor Middle East – Flower Exhibition

May Dubai Formula F4 Circuit Race – Powerboat Race


Arabian Travel Market – Tourism Exhibition
Middle East International Boat Show

June -September Dubai Summer Suprises – Summer Shopping Festival

August Accession Day.

September Motexha – Fashions and Textiles Exhibition


GCC Snooker Championship

October World Offshore Championship – Powerboat Race


GITEX – Computer and Technology Exhibition
Eid al-Fitr

November International Autumn Trade Fair


World Offshore Championship – Powerboat Race
Dubai Air Show Aerospace Exhibition (bi-annual)
UAE Desert Challenge – Off-road Rally
City That Cares – Ramadan Promotion

December UAE National Day


Dubai International Rally
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Eid Camel Races

52 Employee Hand Book


FR/HRM/165
Rev 02 (0408)

REQUEST FOR HRA ADVANCE

From: : .......................................................................................
S. No/PP No. : .......................................................................................
Division : .......................................................................................
Station : ....................................................................... UAE

Through Proper Channel

To : Personnel Officer
Division : .......................................................................................
Station : .......................................................................................

Dear Sir,
Sub : Request for HRA Advance

Period : From: ................................... To: ..................................

I would request you to kindly release HRA for the


above period and adjust the same in my salary.

Date : .......................................................................................

Thanking You

Yours faithfully

Employee Hand Book 53


Prime Medical Center Road Map

54 Employee Hand Book

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