How to Write Company Internal Regulations in Cambodia

Internal regulations are the written rules of your workplace: working hours, attendance, leave, conduct and discipline. In Cambodia, the Labour Law expects enterprises to have them, and they are the basis for any warning or disciplinary action later. This guide explains what to include and how to put them in place.

Why internal regulations matter

• Everyone knows the rules. New staff get the same written rules as existing staff.
• Fair discipline. A warning or dismissal is much easier to justify when it points to a rule the employee has seen.
• Fewer disputes. Clear rules on hours, leave and overtime prevent most arguments before they start.
• Legal compliance. The Labour Law requires written internal regulations for most enterprises, and they have to be made known to employees. Check the current requirements for registering them with the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training.

What to include

A typical set of internal regulations covers:

1. Working time: working days, hours, breaks and shifts.
2. Attendance: how staff check in and out, what counts as late, and how absence is reported.
3. Leave: annual leave, sick leave, special leave, and how to request each.
4. Overtime: when it can be requested, who approves it, and how it is paid (see overtime pay rules).
5. Pay: pay day, payslips, allowances and deductions.
6. Conduct: dress, behaviour, use of phones, confidentiality and company property.
7. Health and safety: safety equipment, reporting accidents and emergencies.
8. Discipline: types of misconduct and the steps that follow, usually a verbal warning, then a written warning, then suspension and finally dismissal.

How to put them in place

1. Start from a template. Our free internal regulations template and disciplinary action policy give you the structure in Khmer.
2. Adapt it to your business. Match your real working hours, shifts, leave policy and approval steps.
3. Check it against the law. Your rules can't give employees less than the Labour Law does.
4. Share it. Post it where staff can see it, give a copy to new employees and keep their signed acknowledgement.
5. Apply it consistently. Rules only work if managers use the same steps for everyone.

Make the rules part of daily work

The easiest rules to follow are the ones built into the tools people use. When working hours, late rules, leave types and overtime approval are set up in your attendance system, staff see the rules at every check-in and request, and managers don't have to enforce them by hand.

In CheckinMe you set working hours, shifts, late rules, leave types and overtime approval once, and every check-in, request and payslip follows them. See the attendance system and the free HR templates.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the current Labour Law and Prakas for your sector before finalising your internal regulations.