Employment Documents · Bangladesh
Employment Contracts and HR Policies in Bangladesh
Get appointment letters, employment contracts, service rules and an HR policy handbook that follow the Bangladesh Labour Act, read clearly in English and Bangla, and give your managers one set of rules to work from.
Definition
What Is an Employment Contract in Bangladesh?
An employment contract in Bangladesh is the written appointment letter an employer must give every worker before they start, under Section 5 of the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006, setting out the role, class of worker, wages, benefits and start date, and binding both sides alongside the company’s service rules and HR policies.
HR policies sit on top of the contract. They explain how leave, attendance, conduct and discipline work in practice, so every manager applies the same rules.
The golden rule
- 1The Labour Act sets the minimum
- 2Service rules can never give less
- 3Contracts and policies can only add
HR policy handbook
How things work day to day: leave, attendance, conduct, IT, travel.
Appointment letter
The personal deal: role, class, pay, start date, signed by both sides.
Service rules
Company-wide terms of service, optional but binding once approved.
Worker classes
The Six Classes of Worker in Bangladesh
Every appointment letter has to say which class the person belongs to. The class decides probation, notice and benefits.
Apprentice
Employed as a trainee, paid an allowance during training.
Substitute
Covers a permanent or probationer worker who is temporarily absent.
Casual
Employed for casual work in the establishment for a limited time.
Temporary
Employed for work that is temporary in nature and expected to end.
Probationer
Provisionally employed to fill a permanent vacancy, on probation.
Permanent
Employed on a permanent basis, or has completed probation.
Section 4 of the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006. The class must be written in every appointment letter.
Probation and notice
Probation and Notice Periods Your Contracts Must Get Right
Probation and notice are where most Bangladesh contracts go wrong. A probation clause longer than the Act allows does not bind the worker, and a notice clause shorter than the Act is replaced by the statutory period.
Write the worker’s class into the letter, then let the class drive the probation and notice terms rather than copying a template from another country.
Common mistakes we fix
- 1Six-month probation for non-clerical staff
- 2One-month notice for permanent staff
- 3No class of worker written in the letter
Probation period (Section 4)
- 90 daysMost workers: 3 months
- 180 daysClerical workers, or skilled workers after a 3-month extension
Notice to end employment (Sections 26 and 27)
- 14 daysTemporary worker, not monthly-rated
- 30 daysTemporary worker, monthly-rated
- 60 daysPermanent worker resigning; employer ending other permanent workers
- 120 daysEmployer ending a permanent monthly-rated worker
Day counts from the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006. Employer termination also triggers service benefits, so check the full cost before giving notice.
The policy library
The HR Policies Every Bangladesh Company Needs
Nine drawers in one handbook. Each policy has to match the Labour Act and your own service rules.
Leave and holidays
Casual, sick, annual, festival and maternity leave
Hours and attendance
Working hours, overtime, late and absence rules
Code of conduct
Behaviour, conflicts of interest, gifts
Discipline and grievance
Misconduct, show-cause, hearings, appeals
Anti-harassment
Policy and complaint committee
IT and data
Devices, email, passwords, personal data
Travel and expenses
Approvals, limits and claims
Remote and hybrid work
Who can work from home and how
Exit and handover
Resignation, clearance and final settlement
Engaging people as contractors? Read about contractor conversion. For the full rulebook, see labour law compliance in Bangladesh.
How we work
From Template to Signed Contracts in Eight Weeks
A typical project, step by step. Smaller teams move faster; service rules approval depends on the authorities.
Illustrative eight-week plan for a company of around 50 staff. Service rules approval runs on the authorities' timetable, shown as a dashed bar.
FAQs
Employment Contracts and HR Policies: FAQs
Is an appointment letter mandatory in Bangladesh?
Yes. Section 5 of the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 says no employer may employ a worker without giving an appointment letter, and every worker must also get an identity card with a photograph.
What should an appointment letter include?
The worker’s name and parents’ names, addresses, designation and type of work, joining date, class of worker, wages or pay scale with any increment, allowances and benefits, and the worker’s signed acceptance of the terms and the company’s service rules.
How long can probation last in Bangladesh?
Three months for most workers and six months for clerical workers. For a skilled worker, probation can be extended by another three months if the quality of work could not be judged in the first three.
What notice is needed to end employment?
An employer ending a permanent monthly-rated worker’s employment must give 120 days’ notice, or 60 days for other permanent workers. A permanent worker who resigns gives 60 days. Temporary workers need 30 days if monthly-rated and 14 days otherwise.
Does every company need service rules?
No. Service rules are optional, but if a company adopts them they must be approved by the labour inspection authorities and can never be less favourable to workers than the Labour Act.
Can a contract give less than the Labour Act?
No. The Labour Act sets the minimum. A contract or policy can add benefits, but a term that gives the worker less than the Act will not stand.
Should contracts and HR policies be in Bangla?
Registers must be kept in Bangla and an abstract of the Labour Act must be displayed in Bangla. Most employers issue contracts and policies in both Bangla and English so every worker can read them.
What changed for contracts after the 2026 amendment?
The definition of worker is wider, so a manager or supervisor is only outside it if the appointment letter clearly gives them managerial or administrative authority. Resignation benefits are now graded by length of service, and maternity benefit has risen to 120 days.
Get Contracts and Policies You Can Rely On
Send us your current appointment letter and any policies you use today. We will mark what breaks the Labour Act, what is missing, and quote a fixed fee to fix it in English and Bangla.