diff --git a/src/modules/configuration/employees/employees.repository.spec.ts b/src/modules/configuration/employees/employees.repository.spec.ts
index 81a0319..34a1d81 100644
--- a/src/modules/configuration/employees/employees.repository.spec.ts
+++ b/src/modules/configuration/employees/employees.repository.spec.ts
@@ -220,6 +220,26 @@ describe('EmployeesRepository', () => {
     );
   });
 
+  it('delete maps foreign-key violations to ConflictException', async () => {
+    returning.mockRejectedValueOnce({ code: '23503' });
+    await expect(repository.delete('emp-1')).rejects.toMatchObject({
+      constructor: ConflictException,
+      message: 'Employee is referenced by other records',
+    });
+
+    returning.mockRejectedValueOnce({
+      cause: { code: '23503' },
+    });
+    await expect(repository.delete('emp-1')).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(
+      ConflictException,
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('delete rethrows unknown errors', async () => {
+    returning.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('db down'));
+    await expect(repository.delete('emp-1')).rejects.toThrow('db down');
+  });
+
   it('bulkUpdateStatus and bulkDelete return 0 for empty ids', async () => {
     await expect(
       repository.bulkUpdateStatus([], Status.create('active'), 'user-1'),
@@ -240,6 +260,16 @@ describe('EmployeesRepository', () => {
     await expect(repository.bulkDelete(['emp-1'])).resolves.toBe(1);
   });
 
+  it('bulkDelete maps foreign-key violations to ConflictException', async () => {
+    returning.mockRejectedValueOnce({
+      cause: { code: '23503' },
+    });
+    await expect(repository.bulkDelete(['emp-1'])).rejects.toMatchObject({
+      constructor: ConflictException,
+      message: 'Employee is referenced by other records',
+    });
+  });
+
   it('extendListQuery is a passthrough hook', () => {
     const qb = { join: true };
     expect(repository.extendListQuery(qb, { limit: 10, offset: 0 })).toBe(qb);
diff --git a/src/modules/configuration/employees/employees.repository.ts b/src/modules/configuration/employees/employees.repository.ts
index bbb88e8..4a1a5e9 100644
--- a/src/modules/configuration/employees/employees.repository.ts
+++ b/src/modules/configuration/employees/employees.repository.ts
@@ -221,12 +221,16 @@ export class EmployeesRepository {
   }
 
   async delete(id: string): Promise<void> {
-    const deleted = await this.db
-      .delete(employees)
-      .where(eq(employees.id, id))
-      .returning({ id: employees.id });
-    if (deleted.length === 0) {
-      throw new NotFoundException('Employee not found');
+    try {
+      const deleted = await this.db
+        .delete(employees)
+        .where(eq(employees.id, id))
+        .returning({ id: employees.id });
+      if (deleted.length === 0) {
+        throw new NotFoundException('Employee not found');
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      this.rethrowForeignKeyViolation(error);
     }
   }
 
@@ -234,11 +238,15 @@ export class EmployeesRepository {
     if (ids.length === 0) {
       return 0;
     }
-    const deleted = await this.db
-      .delete(employees)
-      .where(inArray(employees.id, ids))
-      .returning({ id: employees.id });
-    return deleted.length;
+    try {
+      const deleted = await this.db
+        .delete(employees)
+        .where(inArray(employees.id, ids))
+        .returning({ id: employees.id });
+      return deleted.length;
+    } catch (error) {
+      this.rethrowForeignKeyViolation(error);
+    }
   }
 
   private buildListWhere(filters: ListEmployeesFilters): SQL | undefined {
@@ -363,6 +371,14 @@ export class EmployeesRepository {
     throw error;
   }
 
+  private rethrowForeignKeyViolation(error: unknown): never {
+    const err = this.unwrapDbError(error);
+    if (err.code === '23503') {
+      throw new ConflictException('Employee is referenced by other records');
+    }
+    throw error;
+  }
+
   private unwrapDbError(error: unknown): {
     code?: string;
     constraint?: string;