Month: April 2024
Are There Limits to an Irregular Working Day
Overtime can help an employer save money and get the project completed faster than the deadline, but such a solution has its own nuances. This article tells about the features of working hours and the importance of establishing clear boundaries for working time.
What is the standard working time?
Working time standards are determined weekly. It is usually accepted that the employer has a five-day working week with two days off.
The government sets the estimated working hours for each calendar year. The standards are for a five-day working week with two days off and a six-day working week with one day off. For 2024, the norms are set accordingly—no more than 2016 and 2022 hours.
What is the normal working time?
The normal standard is the full working time or reduced standard established by the employer and employee agreement. The standard also applies to certain categories of employees. Employees under 18, disabled people, part-time workers, and some other categories of employees do not work irregular working hours.
Irregular and normalized working hours
To deal with irregular working hours, you must understand what standardized working hours are.
Working hours are usually prescribed in an employment contract as the time during which an employee must be at work and perform their work tasks. This is called “standardized working hours.” Over time, he works on weekends and public holidays and works beyond the duration of his working time also referred to as working hours.
The norm of working time is the time based on which the employer plans and takes into account the periods worked by employees. The working week and day norms are determined.
An irregular working day is a particular mode of work in which employees may occasionally work outside the established working hours.
What is the abnormality of working hours?
The condition for an irregular working day is prescribed in the contract, which is concluded with an employee. The irregularity of the working day means:
- An employee may perform work outside normal working hours. The employer issues a written or oral order to do this, and the employee’s consent is not required.
- On his own initiative, an employee may work outside the working day, notifying the employer or an official of the company in words.
Work in the abnormal mode should:
- Be performed sporadically, not daily, regularly.
- Relate to the work tasks and functions of the employee.
Who does not have irregular working hours
- Irregular working hours are not set for the following categories of employees:
- Employees under the age of 18.
- Disabled people of groups 1 and 2.
- For part-timers.
- Categories of employees with part-time working hours..
- Employees who keep a summary record of their working hours.
- Employees who are paid by the piece.
How to set irregular working hours
The condition of irregular working hours, which individual employees of the company establish, differs from the general rules of the employer prescribed in the employment contract and the contract when hiring an employee.
Irregular working hours can be set for an employee in the course of his work. In this case, it is necessary to follow the procedure for changing essential working conditions:
- To justify establishing an irregular working day for reasonable economic and industrial reasons.
- Notify the employee in writing one month in advance. In the warning, in addition to justifying the change in working hours, specify the date from which the working time will be irregular and the duration of additional leave for an irregular working day.
- With the employee’s consent, changes are made to his employment contract based on the employer’s order.
- The timesheet does not display work outside the set working hours.
Compensation for irregular working hours
Employees with irregular working hours prescribed in their employment contract are granted additional leave for an irregular working day. Such a vacation should be set for 1 to 7 calendar days and added to the regular vacation of 24 calendar days.
The employer determines the number of days of additional leave for an irregular working day and the conditions for granting this leave.
The duration of the irregular working day
Employees with irregular working hours should work outside the normal hours occasionally and when necessary. Belarusian legislation does not limit the working hours of those who work overtime. This is the possibility of working around the clock under the cover of an irregular working day. This mode of work has a harmful effect on the results of work and affects the employee’s health.
What is helpful for an employer to remember
Employers who set irregular working hours for employees need to remember:
- About the negative consequences for the business and the employee of daily involvement in work outside the working day.
- On the proportionality of compensation for the irregularity of the work performed.
Simply put, if an employee with an irregular working day is involved in work outside the normal working day, and to compensate for this with only one day of additional leave, the employee will quickly leave such a workplace. Such employers have a bad reputation, as former employees actively share information in professional communities.
Provide adequate compensation for irregular working hours; it is also not necessary to involve employees in work outside their daily working hours.
The Labor Code assumes that workers with irregular working hours can be employed sporadically and if necessary. An employee can collect evidence of daily irregular work and apply to regulatory authorities or to the court with a complaint against the company in which such work is allowed, shaking the company’s reputation.
Litigation with government agencies and lawsuits damage the company’s reputation as an employer and can lead to financial losses in fines, legal costs, and employee compensation.
What is important for an employee to remember
Of course, when an employer engages in round-the-clock work every day under the guise of having an irregular working day, you can collect evidence of this and file a complaint with government agencies. You can also think about changing jobs.
It is also not worth working daily beyond the usual hours just because an irregular working day has been established. Compliance with the work and rest regime helps to maintain clarity of thought and mental health, which helps achieve work goals and improves relationships in the family, with colleagues, and with the people around them.
OUR EXPERIENCE
Choosing the right recruitment agency is very important when recruiting staff. Recruitment.by has successful experience in hiring for various positions for companies in different industries and banks.
We guarantee the replacement of the candidate if the candidate we select leaves during the probation period.
We have extensive contacts and experience in recruitment. There are more than 1,500 candidates in our database.
We’re Here to Help
If you contact us by the email we guarantee that you will receive a feedback from us within 2 (two) hours on any business day and within 6 (six) hours on any other day (holidays etc.).
What Applicants Need to Know Before Contacting a Recruitment Agency
Finding a job can be difficult and exhausting, especially if you don’t know how to start in Belarus. Recruitment agencies can become your reliable assistants in this matter. However, before contacting them, it is essential to consider several important points. This article will examine the main aspects that will help you competently approach the job search through a recruitment agency and increase your chances of successful employment.
What kind of agencies are there
There are three types of intermediary agencies in the labour market that help employers and job candidates meet:
Recruiters
The employers pay for the recruitment companies’ services. The recruiter gets paid for recruitment. The employer submits a list of vacancies and requirements for candidates to the recruiting agency. Recruitment agencies close the employer’s request on a turnkey basis, from the placement of a vacancy to the initial interview stages. In this case, the selected candidates meet the employer’s needs as much as possible.
Outsourcing companies
Such companies employ employees and conclude contracts with them. The hired employees perform the tasks of those companies with which the hiring company has concluded outsourcing agreements. In this case, the outsourcing company employing employees is a contractor of those companies whose tasks are performed by employees of the outsourcing company. This is often how companies that provide merchandising, cleaning, loading and unloading, repair, accounting, and personnel accounting services work.
Employment agencies
Employment agencies usually provide paid employment assistance to applicants for various vacancies – consulting services. To receive help from an employment agency, the applicant enters into a service agreement with the agency. Agencies assist in resume writing, interview and psychological training. Agencies do not guarantee employment but only prepare the applicant for it. The agency charges the payment regardless of the applicant’s achievement of the result of cooperation.
Arguments “for”
Since all three recruitment agencies successfully operate in the labour market, let’s consider the advantages of working with them.
1. Saving time
You do not need to waste time and sort through many vacancies on job sites in search of suitable offers. The agency will select suitable offers for you. You will also not need to search for information about employers who need candidates for vacancies. The agency will provide you with this information.
2. Access to more vacancies
Several companies do not post their vacancies in open sources but cooperate only with employment agencies. That is, in addition to selecting suitable vacancies from open sources, you can expect exclusive offers from the agency.
3. More favourable conditions
Recruiters try to make a favourable offer to the applicant because they want to close the vacancy quickly. The rate of job closure affects recruits’ income and reputation.
4. Help with resume and interview
Several agencies help applicants to create a more “selling” resume and provide advice on preparing for an interview.
5. Feedback
After the interviews, the agency gives the applicant feedback. In case of erroneous behaviour, feedback helps the candidate avoid mistakes in future interviews.
6. It’s all free
The employer usually pays for the services of a recruitment agency, which is one of the advantages for an applicant for whom the agency’s services are free.
7. Precise description of responsibilities
The agency examines the employer’s list of requirements before publishing a vacancy and asks for clarification of the requirements in case of inaccuracies or discrepancies. Therefore, the applicant immediately understands whether it is necessary to respond to the vacancy.
8. The bench
Even when the employer refuses a candidate selected by the agency, your resume will not be lost. Promising candidates fall into the reserve of the recruitment agency and can receive a good offer at any time.
9. Valuable information
In between, a recruiter can give valuable advice on the “packaging” of a resume or the state of affairs in your employment segment. Such information can be heard in a regular free conversation, mainly if you use your soft skills.
Arguments “against”
The arguments against applying for employment services from recruitment agencies are worth considering.
1. Recruitment agencies are not engaged in hiring in all professions and industries
Several recruitment agencies are industry-specific and not engaged in hiring in all professions and industries. Some agencies only hire for a few large clients.
2. You will compete with other candidates from the recruitment agency’s database
Other applicants who have entered the agency’s database may have impressive experience and competencies.
3. The recruiter may distort the truth a little
The recruiter may slightly distort reality to get you interested in a specific vacancy to complete the job placement task.
4. The agency acts in the interests of the employing company
You may be persuaded to lower your expectations or even change the direction of your search since the agency is interested in closing vacancies for a certain employer and receiving remuneration from him for closing a vacancy.
When it’s not worth looking for a job through a recruitment agency
If you are applying for a massive vacancy – with a salary that will be average or low, you should not contact a recruitment agency. Usually, employers place such vacancies independently, saving on the hiring process – without contacting intermediaries through recruitment agencies.
How to choose a recruitment agency
There are many recruitment agencies; you can contact several at once, but first, we recommend choosing a genuinely professional recruitment agency. What to pay attention to:
- To the recruitment agency’s website. Ask if there is information about the company on the site, whether expert articles and news are published there, and when the last update of the analytics was.
- For the agency’s clients. Such information is usually available on the agency’s website. This will tell you about his specialisation. You will find a job faster if you contact an agency that selects staff for your specialisation.
- To review the agency. You can ask the recruiter for feedback if he wrote to you himself.
- For information from agency employees, talk personally with an agency employee, specifying what his assistance in finding employment will be and how he will present you to potential employers.
- The politeness in communication between the agency’s employees, including by phone and in messengers, and the speed of their answers to your questions.
- The quality and depth of communication between an agency employee and you as an applicant. At the beginning of communication, the recruitment agency should devote time and attention to you in order to see you as a suitable candidate and understand your experience and personality traits.
How to find a job through an agency
The process of finding a job through an agency can be presented step by step:
Step 1. Create a resume
Step 2. Send your resume to the recruitment agency.
Step 3. Receiving feedback from the agency and discussing the terms of cooperation.
Step 4. Fill out the applicant’s application form for inclusion in the agency’s database.
Step 5. Optional: making changes to the resume at the suggestion of the recruiter.
Step 6. Getting the agency’s help in preparing for and going to the interview.
Step 7. Receiving a job offer and deciding on employment.
Step 8. Getting feedback from the recruiter if no job offer has been received.
Can the agency help us with EOR / Payroll
Agencies that are outsourcers may well help with EOR and Payroll. Such agencies carry out a complete cycle of employment, including accrual and payment of wages. The staff works and receives a salary in such an outsourcer company, performing tasks for the company with which the outsourcer has agreed. Such an agreement stipulates, among other things, the terms of compensation to the outsourcer for risks and obligations to pay salary taxes, employee insurance, and solve social issues of employees.
Applying to such agencies by employers is especially beneficial when the employers are non-residents and do not plan to open a company in Belarus. For applicants, such agencies often offer opportunities to work remotely for foreign and international companies without relocation.
Our experience
Choosing the right recruitment agency is very important when recruiting staff. Recruitment.by has successful experience in hiring for various positions for companies in different industries and banks.
We guarantee the replacement of the candidate if the candidate we select leaves during the probation period.
We have extensive contacts and experience in recruitment. There are more than 1,500 candidates in our database.
We’re Here to Help
If you contact us by the email we guarantee that you will receive a feedback from us within 2 (two) hours on any business day and within 6 (six) hours on any other day (holidays etc.).
How not to Make a Mistake when Choosing a Recruitment Agency
The process of finding high-quality specialists in Belarus looks quite simple. However, searching on your own can take a long time. In this case, a recruitment agency can ensure high recruitment speed and stable team performance. This article examines the main criteria that should be considered when choosing a recruitment agency in order to minimise the risk of mistakes and find the perfect candidate for your company.
What are the features of finding employees through a recruitment agency
The search for employees through a recruitment agency has characteristics that make this process more convenient and efficient. Here are some of the main features of finding employees through a recruitment agency:
- Professional selection of candidates: Recruitment agencies have the experience and knowledge to select candidates for the company’s specific requirements properly. They pre-select, conduct interviews, and check references to find the best candidate.
- Access to a comprehensive database of candidates: recruitment agencies have access to an extensive database of candidates of various profiles and specialisations. This allows you to find the right specialist for your company quickly.
- Saving time and resources: Contacting a recruitment agency allows you to save time and resources for the company when searching for and selecting candidates. The recruitment agency takes over all the work of searching and pre-selection candidates.
Now let’s look at the benefits for a company that has applied to a recruitment agency.
1. Reducing financial costs
The employer does not need to spend time on an internal recruiter and organise the placement of vacancies. Instead, he pays the recruiter for a successful result.
2. Quick results
Several specialists may be sent to complete the task, not just one recruiter, especially if the customer needs to quickly close a vacancy or search for many candidates. This approach allows the employer to get results faster: candidates begin to arrive in the first week after contacting the agency’s experts. The specific time frame depends on the complexity of the task.
3. Advanced features
A specialised recruitment agency has much broader opportunities to find personnel in the market than an internal HR specialist. Professional experts have an extensive database of candidates accumulated over the years. In successful agencies, applicants’ profiles are divided by industry and contain up-to-date data on their employment. For example, there may be specialists in the database who are already working but are ready to consider new proposals.
4. Proactive search strategy
The recruitment agency is aware that it operates in a competitive labour market. Therefore, recruiters do not limit their search capabilities only to the database and job sites with candidates’ resumes but actively contact those specialists who are not currently considering new job offers. Various social networks, messengers and other non-standard sources of information are used to find suitable candidates. Experienced professionals know how to successfully negotiate and convince a potential employee to consider the proposed offer. Thus, the employer gets access to candidates who are challenging to find in the labour market with a standard search approach.
Criteria for choosing a recruitment agency
1. The price must be adequate
This is a critical condition for a potential recruitment agency client company. It is better to contact the agencies directly to get reliable price information. You can call them, briefly outline the requirements for a specialist and clarify the cost of recruitment services. Or send a completed application for recruitment (you can use the application forms on the agency’s websites) and request information in a reply letter about prices and approximate dates for finding a suitable candidate. Determining the average market prices for recruitment services in the region where you plan to find a new employee is essential.
2. A reliable recruitment agency does not take prepayment for personnel search services
The beginning of cooperation with the agency involves signing an agreement in which it is necessary to specify that the company pays for recruitment services after the candidate chosen by the employer starts work. It is important to note that the contract should have no prepayment clause.
3. Professional recruitment is impossible without an individual approach
The recruitment agency manager must establish contact with the person under whose leadership the new employee will work in order to accumulate the most complete information about the company, its corporate culture, team, etc. These steps are fundamental in the work of an agency manager with a client. Of course, you can limit yourself to choosing candidates according to formal criteria. In this case, the selection of a candidate corresponds to the level of express recruitment and is paid much cheaper than classical recruiting.
The best option is cooperation, where the agency manager visits your office before signing the contract. Thus, he sees the situation through the eyes of a potential candidate and first evaluates what he pays attention to – the location of the office, its interior, style and manner of communication. A personal meeting allows you to assess the person you will be working with and understand their working methods and work efficiency. The manager can conduct interviews directly in your company’s office at your request. This collaboration is often referred to as HR outsourcing.
4. A recruitment agency should have a face – the development of its brand
At the start of cooperation, finding the specialist you will have to work with and asking questions about his experience, specialisation and recruitment methods is essential. For example, if you, as an employer, are told that posting vacancies on job sites is an active search for staff, this is incorrect. Active search includes searching for candidates in resume databases, using social media, participating in job fairs, collaborating with universities, and other methods. Posting vacancies on job sites can be considered a passive search method.
5. Work experience and positive feedback
A successful recruitment agency does not hide its work experience, openly shares customer reviews, and provides verifiable recommendations. It is recommended that you consult with the agency’s clients and find out their experience working with this company before making a decision on cooperation.
6. Provide a work plan and follow the basic steps of working with the customer
A recruitment agency that can be trusted always provides a work plan for finding a candidate and adheres to the primary stages of the work plan with the customer:
- Identification of the customer’s needs.
- Determination of the required qualities of the candidate.
- Recruitment before the start of the selection process.
- Receiving applications from potential candidates.
- Pre-selection of candidates.
- The final selection and hiring of staff.
- Making a decision.
7. Knows the scope of business and the size of your company
The specialist of the recruitment agency who works with you must understand the needs and scope of your business and cooperate with you to achieve the goal.
8. Always in touch
Employees of the recruitment agency must answer the customer’s calls and messages, not ignore questions and suggestions, and respond to the customer’s feedback on selected candidates.
9. Follows the selection process and shows candidates within the agreed time frame
The recruitment agency strictly adheres to the established personnel selection process, which includes an analysis of the company’s needs, determining the profile of candidates, and preliminary and final selection. It takes care to present suitable candidates to the customer within the agreed time frame, ensuring an effective and professional staff search.
10. Vacancies from the agency must correspond to reality
The employer must be sure that the job description corresponds to the actual situation in the company to avoid misunderstandings and disappointments for both applicants and the employer.
11. Qualifications of recruiters
An experienced employee will be able to take into account the specifics of the business and the needs of customers and demonstrate an understanding of the problems and current market situation in their industry.
12. Guarantees
A reliable recruitment agency guarantees free replacement of selected employees during probation. A guarantee’s availability is one indicator that a recruitment agency can be trusted.
We’re Here to Help
If you contact us by the email we guarantee that you will receive a feedback from us within 2 (two) hours on any business day and within 6 (six) hours on any other day (holidays etc.).