What labour obligations must every company meet when operating in Spain?
How can your business identify potential compliance risks before they become a problem?
Why is specialised employment law advice essential for foreign companies with employees in Spain?
Complying with employment obligations in Spain is not only a legal requirement. It is also a way to protect your business, reduce risks and build a safer working environment for your employees.
Spain is an attractive market for investment, business growth and job creation. However, its employment regulations are detailed, technical and constantly evolving. For foreign companies, this can make day-to-day compliance more difficult, especially when operating through a subsidiary, branch, local team or Employer of Record (EOR).
Many compliance issues arise because companies are unaware of specific Spanish requirements or because existing procedures are not reviewed regularly. Common risks include incomplete working time records, outdated occupational risk prevention documentation, missing internal policies, incorrect payroll management or failure to implement mandatory protocols.
These situations can lead to inspections, penalties, surcharges, employee claims or conflicts with the authorities. In more serious cases, they can also affect the company’s reputation and business continuity.
What does this guide cover?
This guide explains the main employment obligations that companies must consider when operating in Spain. It is especially useful for international businesses that need a clear and practical overview of the Spanish labour framework.
Inside the guide, you will find information on:
- Common obligations for all companies.
- Occupational risk prevention.
- Working time records.
- Pay registers and equality obligations.
- Digital disconnection.
- Remote work agreements.
- Internal reporting channels.
- Additional obligations for companies with 50 or more employees.
- Possible consequences of non-compliance.
At LEIALTA, we help companies comply with Spanish employment regulations through a practical, personalised and integrated approach. Our team combines employment law expertise with a broader business perspective, covering tax, accounting and corporate matters when needed.
We also believe that compliance starts with knowledge. That is why we create practical resources, guides and self-assessment tools to help companies understand their obligations and make better decisions.
Assess your company’s compliance with labor obligations in Spain
Before downloading the guide, you can also assess your company’s current situation through our employment compliance questionnaires.
These tools are designed to help you identify possible gaps in your labour management and detect areas that may require attention.
Your answers are confidential and will help you understand whether your company is properly meeting its main employment obligations in Spain.
General questionnaire
This questionnaire is designed for companies of any size.
It helps identify whether your business complies with basic employment obligations, such as workplace registration, Social Security registration, working time records, occupational risk prevention, pay registers, internal policies and digital disconnection.
It is especially useful for companies that have recently started operating in Spain or that have not reviewed their labour compliance procedures for some time.
Advanced questionnaire for companies with 50 or more employees
Companies with 50 or more employees are subject to additional obligations in Spain.
This questionnaire is designed for larger organisations that need to review more demanding compliance areas, including equality plans, pay audits, internal reporting channels and specific equality and non-discrimination measures.
It can help detect potential shortcomings before they lead to sanctions, inspections or internal conflicts.
Why complete the questionnaire?
By completing the questionnaire, your company can:
- Identify potential employment compliance risks.
- Understand which obligations may need to be reviewed.
- Detect gaps in internal policies or documentation.
- Prepare for inspections or internal audits.
- Decide whether corrective action is needed.
To complement this diagnosis, we have created a free specialised guide with the key information companies need to understand their employment obligations in Spain.
Download guide
Fill out the form with your information, and you will receive an email with the resources.
Why download this guide?
The Spanish employment framework goes far beyond avoiding penalties. Its purpose is to ensure safe, fair and compliant workplaces where employee rights are respected, and business activity can develop with legal certainty.
However, for foreign companies, this framework can be difficult to interpret. Obligations may vary depending on the size of the workforce, the type of activity, the internal organisation of the company and the specific policies already in place.
This guide has been created to answer practical questions such as:
- What obligations apply to all companies operating in Spain?
- Which employment documents and policies should be kept up to date?
- What additional obligations apply to companies with 50 or more employees?
- What risks can arise from failing to manage working time records, occupational risk prevention, equality obligations or internal reporting channels?
- How can employment compliance become part of the company’s daily management?
What will you learn from this guide?
With this free guide, your company will gain a clear and structured overview of the main labour obligations in Spain.
It will help you:
- Understand the basic employment obligations that apply from the start of activity.
- Reduce the risk of penalties, claims and conflicts with the authorities.
- Identify which internal policies and documents should be reviewed.
- Integrate labour compliance into daily business management.
- Strengthen your company’s organisation, culture and reputation in Spain.
A practical resource for foreign companies in Spain
This guide is especially useful for international companies that want to operate in Spain with greater confidence.
Whether your company is hiring its first employee, expanding its Spanish team or reviewing its current compliance framework, this resource will help you understand the main obligations to consider.
Download our guide and review your company’s employment compliance with clear, practical and up-to-date criteria.
If your company is also planning to hire new employees in Spain, you can complement this resource with our guide on how to hire in Spain.
