Frequently Asked Questions About EKTEFA

EKTEFA is a comprehensive cloud-based Human Resources Management System designed to serve organizations across all sectors in the Saudi market.

It covers a wide range of HR needs within one integrated platform, including internal communication, attendance and time management, work schedules, electronic employee files, payroll and wages, reports, performance management, learning and development, recruitment, and employee self-service through a dedicated mobile application, along with many other features.

EKTEFA is a comprehensive HR platform that has been developed with contributions from more than 500 HR professionals.

It delivers high value at competitive pricing and allows organizations to manage an unlimited number of companies and branches, while every employee included in the subscription is also considered a system user.

EKTEFA also provides extensive flexibility in permissions and workflows, multiple attendance management options, advanced work schedule management, flexible alignment with Saudi market requirements, and a comprehensive employee self-service mobile application.

Yes. EKTEFA is designed to serve organizations of all sizes and across all sectors, from small and medium-sized businesses to large enterprises with multiple companies, branches, and work locations.

Yes. EKTEFA allows customers to manage an unlimited number of companies and branches without additional limits on their number.

Pricing is primarily based on the number of active employees and the options selected by the organization.

Yes. Every employee included in the subscription is considered a system user.

Organizations can define and distribute permissions for each user or user group based on roles, responsibilities, and operational requirements.

EKTEFA provides multiple attendance and check-in methods to accommodate different work environments and business requirements, including:

• Integration with attendance devices compatible with EKTEFA.
• EKTEFA biometric attendance devices.
• MUAREF Location, allowing attendance registration through the mobile application from approved locations.
• MUAREF Direct, allowing employees to register attendance and departure from permitted locations according to company policies.
• MUAREF QR, enabling contactless attendance and departure registration using a QR code.
• MUAREF Device, an integrated device designed to work with MUAREF QR and capable of operating offline.

Yes. EKTEFA supports a wide variety of advanced work schedules, including fixed schedules, rotating shifts, flexible work schedules, field work, and other work patterns.

Schedules can be configured flexibly according to each organization's operational requirements and policies.

Yes. EKTEFA connects attendance and time management directly with payroll.

Late arrivals, absences, overtime, and applicable deductions can be processed as part of payroll with a single click.

The EKTEFA mobile application provides comprehensive employee self-service capabilities.

Employees can perform many tasks, including:

• Submit leave requests.
• Justify late attendance.
• Request attendance correction.
• Submit permission or short-leave requests.
• Request official letters.
• Submit loan requests.
• Request remote work.
• Submit overtime requests.
• Register attendance through the mobile application.
• Send greeting cards.
• Complete approvals for managers.
• Access many other employee self-service functions.

Yes. EKTEFA provides a comprehensive electronic employee file that brings together employee personal information, employment information, documents, records, and other work-related data in one place.

Yes. EKTEFA supports employee performance management through highly flexible evaluation cycles that can be created and managed directly within the system.

Organizations can design evaluation processes according to their own criteria, policies, and performance management approach.

Yes. EKTEFA supports the management of employee training and development, including programs, courses, and development activities associated with employees.

Yes. EKTEFA supports recruitment workflows and applicant management.

As an added benefit, every EKTEFA subscriber receives a free subscription to the Kader recruitment platform.

Job advertisements can be automatically published to the Kader recruitment portal, while applicants and recruitment processes can be followed directly through EKTEFA, helping organizations automate the recruitment process and reduce manual work.

Yes. EKTEFA provides extensive flexibility for building and customizing workflows and approval processes.

Each workflow can be assigned according to specific permission groups, enabling organizations to align approval processes with their organizational structure and internal policies.

Yes. EKTEFA includes more than 100 detailed reports, in addition to a management dashboard that helps HR professionals monitor daily operations, review key indicators, and make better-informed decisions.

Yes. EKTEFA provides an integration portal that allows customers to implement integrations directly, supported by comprehensive integration documentation.

This enables customers to meet many integration requirements without needing to contact the EKTEFA team for every integration.

EKTEFA also provides:

• An integration add-on for Odoo.
• Automated integration between EKTEFA and Odoo.
• Direct integration with selected approved ZKTeco devices.
• Supported device integrations without requiring subscriptions to third-party intermediary providers.

Yes. EKTEFA is designed to operate flexibly in line with the requirements of the Saudi market.

Regulatory developments and relevant changes are continuously monitored, and the system is updated to adapt accordingly.

Organizations also retain flexibility to configure their internal policies and settings according to their own requirements, within the limits permitted by applicable regulations.

Yes. EKTEFA was developed locally in Riyadh by the development team of ZADIP GROUP LTD.

The system is also hosted within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the core operations associated with the platform are managed locally.

EKTEFA subscriptions are priced on the number of active employees, and the cost per employee falls as headcount rises.

- Pricing starts at SAR 4,000 per year for organizations with 1 to 49 active employees.

- It scales down to SAR 20 per employee per year for organizations with 801 or more active employees.

For an exact figure for your organization, use the pricing calculator on the pricing and plans page.

Every employee in the subscription is a full user with full access that you control — there are no separately purchased user licences, and no features are withheld from smaller subscriptions: every subscription includes the complete system.

This is why EKTEFA is among the lowest-cost HR systems available for the full set of features it includes in every subscription.

Yes. Before subscribing, every prospective customer receives a comprehensive presentation explaining EKTEFA's features and benefits.

The presentation includes a live walkthrough of the system, allowing the customer to see how EKTEFA works in practice and understand how its features can support the organization.

Yes. EKTEFA offers a paid implementation service delivered through live and direct support from an EKTEFA implementation specialist.

The purpose of this service is to understand how the organization operates, verify that data is uploaded correctly, and ensure that system settings are configured appropriately.

This helps the customer start using EKTEFA smoothly and obtain outputs that accurately reflect their operational requirements.

Yes. Every EKTEFA subscriber receives 3 free training sessions on the system in accordance with EKTEFA's training policy.

These sessions are designed to help the organization's team use the platform effectively and benefit from its features.

EKTEFA is distinguished by its after-sales services and strong multi-channel technical support.

Support channels include:

• Live chat directly within EKTEFA.
• An integrated support ticketing system.
• A dedicated telephone support line.
• Email support.
• The customer portal.

Yes. The EKTEFA team can cooperate with the customer during the data migration process.

If the customer provides a backup copy of the previous system, the data can be reviewed and processed for import into EKTEFA to help make the transition as smooth as possible.

Yes. EKTEFA supports both Arabic and English, and users can select the language that best suits them while using the system.

Yes. EKTEFA supports both Hijri and Gregorian calendars to meet the needs of organizations and users in the Saudi market.

Yes. EKTEFA provides a flexible permission management system that allows organizations to define user access according to job role, department, or permission group.

This gives organizations detailed control over access to system functions and information.

Yes. EKTEFA maintains records of activities and changes performed within the system.

This helps organizations track actions, identify which user performed an action, and determine when it occurred.

Yes. EKTEFA allows customers to create and customize forms and requests according to their specific requirements through a built-in form designer.

This allows organizations to build their own processes without requiring custom development for every form.

Yes. Customers can configure notification periods according to their requirements.

For example, organizations can determine how far in advance users should be notified before contracts, documents, or other important records expire.

Yes. EKTEFA provides several internal communication and organizational tools, including:

• Internal email and messaging.
• Company-wide announcements.
• Individual employee calendars.
• Calendars for company events and activities.

These tools help organizations centralize communication and daily coordination within one system.

Yes. EKTEFA supports the management of employee loans, advances, and financial entitlements, with the ability to connect them to payroll and deductions according to the organization's policies and settings.

Yes. EKTEFA supports the management of assets and items assigned to employees.

Organizations can document and track the delivery and return of such assets and associate them with the employee's electronic file.

Yes. EKTEFA supports resignation, employment termination, clearance processes, and final settlement calculations.

Termination reasons are also aligned with the reasons available on the Qiwa platform, helping organizations standardize procedures and provide greater clarity in employment termination processes.

Yes. Organizations can prepare a new employee's file, information, and requirements in EKTEFA at any time.

This helps organize onboarding activities and allows employee information and requirements to be prepared before or after the employee's start date as needed.

Yes. EKTEFA allows organizations to build and manage their organizational structure and connect employees with companies, branches, departments, sections, and direct managers.

This helps ensure that the structure within EKTEFA reflects the organization's actual operating structure.

Yes. EKTEFA supports the management of multiple companies or legal entities under a single group.

Each entity can maintain its own data and settings independently where required.

Yes. EKTEFA allows organizations to configure different policies for each company or branch.

This may include attendance policies, leave policies, permissions, approval workflows, and other operational settings.

Yes. EKTEFA supports remote work, overtime, and employee permission requests.

These processes can be integrated with approval workflows, attendance, and payroll according to the organization's policies.

Yes. Organizations can create and manage different leave types, define balances and policies for each type, and connect them to approval workflows and payroll according to company policies.

Yes. EKTEFA supports the calculation of end-of-service benefits and final employee entitlements based on the data, policies, and settings configured in the system.

Yes. EKTEFA supports the management of medical insurance information for employees and their family members, including coverage-related information, validity, and renewal details within the employee's records.

Yes. EKTEFA supports the issuance of employee letters and certificates, including salary certificates and letters addressed to different organizations.

Templates can also be customized according to the organization's identity and requirements.

Yes. Employees and managers can submit, review, and approve requests directly through the EKTEFA mobile application without needing to access the web version.

This helps accelerate workflows and makes approvals more flexible.

EKTEFA does not currently provide full customization of the platform interface or its overall visual identity.

However, each company can add its own company logo within EKTEFA so that its identity is represented inside the system.

Yes. EKTEFA allows organizations to configure different payroll policies and calculation methods for allowances, deductions, and overtime according to the company, branch, or employee category.

This provides flexibility for organizations with different internal payroll structures.

Yes. EKTEFA supports the management of allowances, deductions, bonuses, and incentives and allows them to be linked directly to payroll according to the organization's policies and configuration.

Yes. EKTEFA supports multiple payroll calculation policies and models, including monthly and daily salary structures according to the organization's configuration.

Hourly payroll calculation is not currently supported.

Yes. EKTEFA supports automatic calculation and accrual of employee leave balances according to factors such as the employee's joining date, contract type, and organization policy.

This provides flexibility in managing different leave entitlement policies.

Yes. EKTEFA supports automatic notifications for important requests and events, including pending requests, upcoming contract or document expirations, and other activities requiring attention.

Organizations can also customize notification periods according to their specific requirements.